A fully annotated Saudi genome, KSA001, sets a new reference for West Asian ancestry.
Researchers sequenced a Saudi volunteer's genome using multiple methods, producing a complete telomere-to-telomere assembly for all chromosomes except Y. They annotated it by transferring labels from the existing reference genome. All data, assembly, and annotations are freely available under FAIR principles. This is the first such high-quality genome from a Saudi individual, offering a new baseline for studying Arabian ancestry.
The site lists one sample: KSA001. Its mitochondrial haplogroup is M30-C16234T, a lineage found in West Asia and North Africa. No Y-chromosome haplogroup is resolved, matching the paper's exclusion of the Y chromosome. No cultural or site data are provided, so this sample represents a single Saudi individual.
For ancestry enthusiasts, KSA001 provides a high-quality reference for West Asian genomes, helping to better interpret Saudi and broader Arabian lineages. It also highlights the value of diverse reference genomes for accurate ancestry analysis.