Bat1K is an international scientific consortium launched in 2017 with the mission of sequencing the genomes of all living bat species- approximately 1,450 - to produce high-quality, chromosome-level assemblies. This large-scale effort aims to uncover the genetic basis of bats' unique adaptations, including powered flight, echolocation, extraordinary longevity, and robust immune responses. The project also provides crucial data for evolutionary studies, conservation strategies, and biomedical research.

History

Bat1K was co-founded by: * Emma Teeling (University College Dublin) * Sonja Vernes (now at the University of St Andrews, formerly at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics) Since its inception, the consortium has expanded significantly and now includes approximately 550 members, comprising bat biologists, genome scientists, computational researchers, and conservationists from around the world. Key collaborating institutions include: *

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics __NOTOC__ The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) is a biology research institute located in Dresden, Germany. It was founded in 1998 and was fully operational in 2001. Research groups in the institute work in m ...

* The Wellcome Sanger Institute *

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung The Senckenberg Nature Research Society (, until 2008 ''Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft'') is a German scholarly society with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. Overview Its purpose is to conduct research in the natural sciences a ...

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

Key partner projects include: * EarthBio Genome Project * European Reference Genome Atlas * Vertebrate Genome Project * Sanger Darwin Tree of Life Project

Applications

Several research areas could be furthered by documenting bat genomes. These include healthy ageing, disease resistance, ecosystem function and

ecosystem services Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from Ecosystem, ecosystems. The interconnected Biotic_material, living and Abiotic, non-living components of the natural environment offer benefits such as pollination of crops, clean ...

, sensory perception, communication, limb development, and mammal genome structure. The Bat1K consortium is structured into multiple specialized working groups, each focusing on a different aspect of bat genomics research: * Non-coding DNA, miRNAs, and Genome Evolution * Sensory Perception, Echolocation, and Vocal Learning * Conservation and Ecology * Longevity and Aging * Mitochondrial Group (Batochondria) * Immunity and Virology * Flight and Metabolism These working groups bring together experts in genetics, ecology, physiology, and evolutionary biology to collaboratively advance the understanding of bats.

Results

In 2020, the genomes of six species were published: the

greater horseshoe bat The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous bat of the genus ''Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats i ...

Egyptian fruit bat The Egyptian fruit bat or Egyptian rousette (''Rousettus aegyptiacus'') is a species of megabat that occurs in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Indian subcontinent. It is one of three ''Rousettus'' species with an African-Malag ...

pale spear-nosed bat The pale spear-nosed bat (''Phyllostomus discolor'') is a species of phyllostomidae, phyllostomid bat from South America, South and Central America. Description Pale spear-nosed bats are relatively robust for bats. Adults range from in total le ...

greater mouse-eared bat The greater mouse-eared bat (''Myotis myotis'') is a European species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. Description ''Myotis myotis'' is a large bat with a long, broad muzzle and big, long ears. The body's dorsal side is brown to reddish-br ...

Kuhl's pipistrelle Kuhl's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus kuhlii'') is a species of vesper bat that occurs in large areas of North Africa, Southern Europe and West Asia. It lives in temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby ve ...

, and the

velvety free-tailed bat The velvety free-tailed bat (''Molossus molossus'') is a species of bat found in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Physical description The velvety free-tailed bat is a medium-sized bat, with a length of and with a wingspa ...

. These genomes were called "comparable to the best reference-quality genomes that have so far been generated for any

eukaryote The eukaryotes ( ) constitute the Domain (biology), domain of Eukaryota or Eukarya, organisms whose Cell (biology), cells have a membrane-bound cell nucleus, nucleus. All animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, seaweeds, and many unicellular organisms ...

with a

gigabase A base pair (bp) is a fundamental unit of double-stranded nucleic acids consisting of two nucleobases bound to each other by hydrogen bonds. They form the building blocks of the DNA double helix and contribute to the folded structure of both DNA ...

-sized genome". In 2020, the project's stated goal was to sequence an additional 27 genomes, with a representative from each family of bats, within the next year.

References

{{reflist Genome projects Bats

History

Applications

Results

See also

References