Publication date: Mar 24, 2025
The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) has shown promise as a human diseases model, recapitulating features of different human diseases including COVID-19. However, the landscape of its genome and transcriptome has not been systematically dissected, restricting its potential applications. 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. Further comparison of the transcriptomes from 15 tissues of the Syrian hamster revealed that the Syrian hamster shares a pattern of alternative splicing modes more similar to humans, compared to rats and mice. An integrated genomic-transcriptomic analysis revealed that the 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 compared to other rodents and show the same function as their human counterparts. 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.