1. Extremotolerant tardigrade genome and improved radiotolerance of human cultured cells by tardigrade-unique protein

2. Introduction and Justification
Ramazzottius varieornatus is more of an extremophile than Hypsibius dujardini (which is one of the least stress-tolerant species)
One of the most stress-tolerant species
Referencing the battling tardigrade papers, the authors agree that contamination can cause a misinterpretation, but so can misidentification and erroneous elimination of possible contaminants.
New sequence is needed.

3. Genome Statistics Assembly size: 56 Mbp (301 scaffolds)
Coverage: 160x (Illumina)
199 scaffolds (99.7% in span) had considerable coverage (>40)
102 scaffolds had exceptionally low coverage (<1)
102 scaffolds were considered derivative of contaminating organisms and were excluded
Final Assembly: 55.8 Mbp (199 scaffolds; N50=4.74 Mbp, N90 = 1.3 Mbp)
70,674/70,819 sequences successfully mapped

4. Genome Statistics High coverage (95.6%) in essential eukaryotic genes
Comprehensive gene set – 19,521 protein coding genes
Mean length of coding sequences = 1,062 bp
Mean length of exons = 234 bp
Mean length of introns = 402 bp
Mean length of inter-coding sequence distances = 1,099 bp
Compact genome

6. Genome Statistics High coverage (95.6%) in essential eukaryotic genes
Comprehensive gene set – 19,521 protein coding genes
Mean length of coding sequences = 1,062 bp
Mean length of exons = 234 bp
Mean length of introns = 402 bp
Mean length of inter-coding sequence distances = 1,099 bp
Compact genome

7. Results
No extensive HGT (~1.7%, authors acknowledge that even this may be overestimated)
Expansion of stress-related genes – oxidative stress – antioxidative enzymes, SODs, and bacterial-origin catalases
Selective loss of peroxisomal oxidative pathway – decreased hydrogen peroxide production, preserving antioxidant capacity
Selective loss of stress responsive pathways – tardigrade suppresses autophagy
Abundant expression of genes unique to tardigrade
Identification of a unique DNA-associated protein – Dsup
Protect DNA from radiation
This protein suppresses DNA damage in human cultured cells and improves viability of irradiated human cultured cells