###### Abstract  
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a widespread concern for human health and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be a major source of ARG transmission. In this paper, the potential hosts and genetic characteristics of ARGs in the influent, activated sludge and effluent of WWTPs in Xinjiang were studied by metagenomics. Bicitracian resistance gene (_lac_A), beta-lactamase gene (_class A beta-lactamase_), multidrug resistance genes (_lac_C), _qu_E_delta1), and sulfonamide resistance genes (_s_u_11, and _s_u_2) are persistent antibiotic resistance genes (PARGs). The potential hosts of ARGs were mainly pathogens, with _Escherichia coli_ (12.9%), _Acinetobacter j jonsmini_ (8.94%), and _Klebsiella pneumoniae_ (5.30%) accounting for the highest proportions. Chromosomal sequences and plasmid sequences accounted for 42.0% and 22.6% of ARG-carrying contigs (ACCs) in the influent, respectively. Meanwhile, the effluent contained 58.3% of ACCs in plasmids and 8.30% in chromosomes. Bicitracian resistance genes and multidrug resistance genes were mainly carried by chromosomes, while resistance genes for macrolide-lincosamide-streptomycin (MLS), vancomycin, sulfonamide, beta-lactam, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and aminoglycosoxide were mainly carried by plasmids. ICE_p_ae690-s_u_11-_qu_E_delta1 and ICE_P_mi_Chn3-_s_u_l_2 were stable coexistence structures and heighten the transfer potential of ARGs in the environment. This study provided a clearer picture of host bacterial sources and genetic context of ARGs in the environment. persistent antibiotic resistance gene; mobile genetic elements; ARG host; genetic background; metagenomic assembly 20221115 March 2022115 March 2022115 March 2022115 March 2022115 March 202215 March pathogens (ARPs) and poses a threat to human health [3]. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) including plasmids, integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs), insertion sequences (ISs), and integrins can be transferred inside or between bacterial cells [7]. The ARGs carried by MGEs are easy to transfer even between bacteria from distant taxonomic lineages, thereby potentially generating new antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) [8]. ARGs associated with MGEs have a higher risk of persisting in the environment [9]. The genetic characteristics of ARGs require further investigation to evaluate the transfer potential of ARGs. Metagenomics is widely used to identify the abundance and removal rate of ARGs in WWTPs and is a powerful tool for ARG research [10; 11; 12]. [PERSON] and collaborators used metagenomic sequencing to investigate the fate of ARGs in WWTP for the first time [4]. The host, removal rate, and enrichment of ARGs during wastewater treatment were also studied by metagenomics [13]. [PERSON] et al. used metagenomics to study the difference in the abundance of ARGs and MGEs in different processes in a WWTP [14]. Previous approaches to ARG annotation commonly using short reads provided more diverse ARG annotation results. However, antibiotic resistance in the environment was inaccurate [15]. Therefore, contigs of sufficient length are required for accurate assembly and ARG identification to reveal the genomic background and potential hosts of ARGs [16]. This approach revealed the host and genetic location of ARGs in coastal beaches and sewage waters [17], the mobility of ARGs and bacterial hosts under antibiotic selection pressure [18], and the pathogenic host of ARGs in the foam of WWTPs [19]. However, few studies have investigated the genetic background of ARGs in Xinjiang, one of the driest regions in the world. In this study, the potential host and genetic characteristics of ARGs in WWTPs of Xinjiang were studied based on metagenomic assembly.