Genome Spotlight: Freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

A high school student uses crowdfunding to produce the first genome assembly for this popular aquarium species, underscoring the increasing feasibility of whole-genome sequencing.

Written byChristie Wilcox, PhD
| 4 min read
A tropical angelfish
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When 17-year-old Indeever Madireddy’s pet angelfish Calvin died, he could have unceremoniously flushed it down the toilet like so many dearly departed fish companions had been before. Instead, he sequenced the animal’s genome. “I wanted to preserve it forever,” he tells New Scientist. “I decided to sequence the genome of the angelfish with the hopes that I could contribute that information to the scientific community, while also paying a small tribute to my pet!”

Seriously impressive! High-schooler, @indeever_m used #MinION to sequence and perform the first ever de novo assembly of the #genome of the freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare. #AnythingAnyoneAnywhere https://t.co/9Ow3VHyQCN

Although Madireddy is an adept fishkeeper, he is a high school student in California and didn’t exactly have the resources necessary for genomic work. So, he spent about a month researching the methodology, then bought reagents and paid the modest member fee to gain access to BioCurious, a community ...

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