The genome sequence (1.9-fold coverage) of an inbred Abyssinian domestic cat was assembled,
mapped, and annotated with a comparative approach that involved cross-reference to
annotated genome assemblies of six mammals (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, dog, and
cow). The results resolved chromosomal positions for 663,480 contigs, 20,285 putative
feline gene orthologs, and 133,499 conserved sequence blocks (CSBs). Additional annotated
features include repetitive elements, endogenous retroviral sequences, nuclear mitochondrial
(numt) sequences, micro-RNAs, and evolutionary breakpoints that suggest historic balancing
of translocation and inversion incidences in distinct mammalian lineages. Large numbers
of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), deletion insertion polymorphisms (DIPs),
and short tandem repeats (STRs), suitable for linkage or association studies were
characterized in the context of long stretches of chromosome homozygosity. In spite
of the light coverage capturing approximately 65% of euchromatin sequence from the
cat genome, these comparative insights shed new light on the tempo and mode of gene/genome
evolution in mammals, promise several research applications for the cat, and also
illustrate that a comparative approach using more deeply covered mammals provides
an informative, preliminary annotation of a light (1.9-fold) coverage mammal genome
sequence.