Eggplant genome research has entered the era of HD

October 31, a team led by Wang Yikui, a researcher at the Vegetable Research Institute of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, published a chromosomal-level high-quality eggplant genome sequence online on BioRxiv, a preprinted server for biology papers. Using PacBio sequencing technology, combined with Dovetail Hi-C and HiRise assembly algorithms, the team obtained the best continuous eggplant crop genome possible, marking the beginning of the high-definition era of eggplant genomics research.
is one of the most important crops in the aubergine family, with the third highest yield and economic value among aubergine plants. The published eggplant reference genome, Contig N50 reached 5.3Mb, Scaffold N50 reached 93.9 Mb, the total sequence length of 1155.8 Mb.
", teams in Japan and Italy published eggplant reference genomes based on second-generation sequencing techniques. This time we are using the latest third-generation sequencing and Hi-C technology, which are much higher in assembly quality and continuity than the genome versions of foreign research teams. "In the case of the eggplant genome recently published by the Italian team, contig N50 is 16.7Kb, while our genome version, The Contig N50, has reached 5.3Mb, a more than 300-fold increase in continuity," said Wang Yikui, author and project leader of the paper. "
comparative genomics analysis, it was found that 646 gene families and 364 positive selection genes specific to eggplant species gave aubergine-specific characteristics. The team conducted a genome-wide identification of disease-resistant genes and found that there was an expanding family of bacterial spot resistance genes in eggplants and peppers, but not in tomatoes and potatoes. In addition, the team found that chromosomal distribution patterns of polyphenol oxidase genes were highly similar in the eggplant, tomato and potato genomes. High-quality eggplant reference genome sequence is not only beneficial to the evolutionary study of aubergine plants, but also facilitates the selection and improvement of aubergine plants.
the research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China project, Guangxi science and technology major special project, the national modern agricultural industry technology system Guangxi bulk vegetable innovation team project.
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