Genomic-transcriptomic analysis reveals Syrian hamster as a superior human disease animal model

Backgroud : The Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus ) has shown promise as a human diseases model, recapitulating features of different human diseases including the emerging COVID-19. However, the landscape of its genome and transcriptome has not been systematically dissected, restricting its potential applications. Results : Here we provide a complete analysis of the genome and transcriptome of the Syrian hamster and found that its lineage diverged from that of the Chinese hamster ( Cricetulus griseus ) around 29.4 million years ago. 21,387 protein-coding genes were identified, with 90.03% of the 2.56G base pair sequence being anchored to 22 chromosomes. The further comparison of the transcriptomes from 15 tissues of the Syrian hamster disclosed that Syrian hamster shares a pattern of alternative splicing modes more similar to humans, compared to rats and mice. A integrated genomic-transcriptomic analysis revealed that Syrian hamster also has genetic and biological advantages as a superior animal model for cardiovascular diseases. Strikingly, several genes involved in SARS-COV-2 infection including ACE2 present a higher homology with humans than other rodents and show the same function as the human counterparts. Conclusion : The detailed molecular characterisation of the Syrian hamster in the present study opens a wealth of fundamental resources from this small rodent for future research into human disease pathology and treatment.