A genome-wide copy number variation (CNV) analysis of the American mink (Neogale vison)is presented in BMC Genomics this week, providing insights into a range of biological processes in the animal. The mink is a major source of fur worldwide, and breeding planning is essential for the mink industry to meet sustainable production requirements. To help enable such efforts, scientists from Dalhousie University performed their analysis using whole-genome sequencing data from 100 minks, identifying 5,378 CNV regions (CNVRs) covering 1.9 percent of the mink autosome. The researchers find CNVRs enriched for genes related to natural behavior, lipid metabolism, and immune response, as well as several CNVR that harbor genes related to fur quality. "Overall, the results provide new resources for mink genome analysis, serving as a guideline for future investigations in which genomic structural variations are present," the study's authors write