To highlight genomic signatures linked to NED and to highlight other genotype-phenotype convergent associations related to characters linked to the capacity of undergoing NED, we are sequencing and comparing the genomes of four species of Styelid, two colonials (Botryllus schlosseri and Polyandrocarpa zorritensis) and two solitaries (Dendrodoa grossularia and Styela plicata). As an offshoot, we may be able to collect insights on the possible effects of asexual propagation on evolution of genome architecture, for example due to heritable mutations of the somatic pluripotent stem cells. We are currently sequencing the genomes via Oxford Millipore technology, we then assemble and optimize the scaffolding and: a) screen for gene loss and/or gene duplication and describe the expansion or contraction of multigene families, to identify orthologues groups of candidate genes involved in coloniality and budding, as well as linked to other sets of traits; b) explore the nature, distribution and potential conservation of cis-regulatory modules that drive gene expression during asexual budding, particularly focusing on the genes up-regulated in budding tissues and cells; c) we will be able to finely resolve the dynamic of chromatin accessibility linked to regulation of potential budding genes.