Genome sequencing provides insights into the evolution of gene families encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in longhorned beetles

All of the PCWDE-encoding genes we annotated from the corresponding larval gut transcriptomes were present in these draft genomes, and we identified new ones. We confirmed that the newly discovered horizontally acquired glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7), subfamily 26 of GH43 (GH43_26), and GH53 (all of which are absent from the A. glabripennis genome) were indeed encoded by these beetles’ genome. Most of the PCWDE-encoding genes of bacterial origin gained introns after their transfer into the beetle genome.

Altogether, we show that draft genome assemblies generated from error-prone nanopore long-reads offer meaningful information to the study of the evolution of gene families in insects. We anticipate that our data will support studies aiming to better understand the biology of the Cerambycidae and other beetles in general.