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High molecular weight genomic DNA was extracted from Komodo dragon blood cells.

While little information is available regarding the molecular biology of reptile immunity, it is believed that innate immunity, which employs antimicrobial host-defense peptides including defensins and cathelicidins, plays a more prominent role in reptile immunity than it does in mammals. They appear to be unaffected, suggesting that dragons have robust defenses against infection. The Komodo dragon diet includes carrion, and a complex milieu of bacteria, including potentially pathogenic strains, has been detected in the saliva of wild dragons.

We report the sequencing, assembly and analysis of the genome of the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis), the largest extant lizard, with a focus on antimicrobial host-defense peptides.