An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in 21 pseudomolecules has been analyzed to identify the distribution and genomic context of coding and noncoding elements across the A, B, and D subgenomes. With an estimated coverage of 94% of the genome and containing 107,891 high-confidence gene models, this assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage–related coexpression networks by providing a transcriptome atlas representing major stages of wheat development. Dynamics of complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. This community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding.
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a major crop for sugar and bioenergy production. Its highly polyploid, aneuploid, heterozygous, and interspecific genome poses major challenges for producing a reference sequence. We exploited colinearity with sorghum to produce a BAC-based monoploid genome sequence of sugarcane. A minimum tiling path of 4660 sugarcane BAC that best covers the gene-rich part of the sorghum genome was selected based on whole-genome profiling, sequenced, and assembled in a 382-Mb single tiling path of a high-quality sequence. A total of 25,316 protein-coding gene models are predicted, 17% of which display no colinearity with their sorghum orthologs. We show that the two species, S. officinarum and S. spontaneum, involved in modern cultivars differ by their transposable elements and by a few large chromosomal rearrangements, explaining their distinct genome size and distinct basic chromosome numbers while also suggesting that polyploidization arose in both lineages after their divergence.
SummaryLate blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is the most devastating disease for potato cultivation. Here, we describe the positional cloning of the Rpi-blb1 gene from the wild potato species Solanum bulbocastanum known for its high levels of resistance to late blight. The Rpi-blb1 locus, which confers full resistance to complex isolates of P. infestans and for which race speci®city has not yet been demonstrated, was mapped in an intraspeci®c S. bulbocastanum population on chromosome 8, 0.3 cM from marker CT88. Molecular analysis of a bacterial arti®cial chromosome (BAC) clone spanning the Rpi-blb1 locus identi®ed a cluster of four candidate resistance gene analogues of the coiled coil, nucleotide-binding site, leucine-rich repeat (CC-NBS-LRR) class of plant resistance (R ) genes. One of these candidate genes, designated the Rpiblb1 gene, was able to complement the susceptible phenotype in a S. tuberosum and tomato background, demonstrating the potential of interspeci®c transfer of broad-spectrum late blight resistance to cultivated Solanaceae from sexually incompatible host species. Paired comparisons of synonymous and non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions between different regions of Rpi-blb1 paralogues revealed high levels of synonymous divergence, also in the LRR region. Although amino acid diversity between Rpi-blb1 homologues is centred on the putative solvent exposed residues of the LRRs, the majority of nucleotide differences in this region have not resulted in an amino acid change, suggesting conservation of function. These data suggest that Rpi-blb1 is relatively old and may be subject to balancing selection.
Despite the efforts of breeders and the extensive use of fungicide control measures, late blight still remains a major threat to potato cultivation worldwide. The introduction of genetic resistance into cultivated potato is considered a valuable method to achieve durable resistance to late blight. Here, we report the identification and cloning of Rpi-vnt1.1, a previously uncharacterized late-blight resistance gene from Solanum venturii. The gene was identified by a classical genetic and physical mapping approach and encodes a coiled-coil nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein with high similarity to Tm-2(2) from S. lycopersicum which confers resistance against Tomato mosaic virus. Transgenic potato and tomato plants carrying Rpi-vnt1.1 were shown to be resistant to Phytophthora infestans. Of 11 P. infestans isolates tested, only isolate EC1 from Ecuador was able to overcome Rpi-vnt1.1 and cause disease on the inoculated plants. Alleles of Rpi-vnt1.1 (Rpi-vnt1.2 and Rpi-vnt1.3) that differed by only a few nucleotides were found in other late-blight-resistant accessions of S. venturii. The late blight resistance gene Rpi-phu1 from S. phureja is shown here to be identical to Rpi-vnt1.1, suggesting either that this strong resistance gene has been maintained since a common ancestor, due to selection pressure for blight resistance, or that genetic exchange between S. venturii and S. phureja has occurred at some time.
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