NCM 2021: Long-read metagenomics and Hi-C proximity ligation to characterise a canine fecal microbiome

Anna characterised a canine fecal sample combining a long-read metagenomics assembly with Hi-C data. Long-read metagenomics retrieved long contigs harboring complete assembled ribosomal operons, prophages, and other mobile genetic elements. Hi-C binned together the long contigs into high-quality (HQ) and medium-quality (MQ) MAGs, some of them representing closely related species. She retrieved 27 HQ MAGs and seven MQ MAGs considering MIMAG criteria. The canine MAGs harbored 51 bacteriophages integrated into their bacterial host, providing novel host information for eight viral clusters that included Gut Phage Database viral genomes. Finally, Hi-C data linked six potential plasmids to their bacterial hosts.