A novel genome sequence ofJasminum sambachelps uncover the molecular mechanism underlying the accumulation of jasmonates

Abstract

Jasminum sambac is a well-known plant for its attractive and exceptional flower fragrance, and the flowers are used to produce scented tea. Jasmonate (JA), an important plant hormone was first identified in Jasminum species. Jasmine plants contain abundant JA naturally, of which the molecular mechanisms of synthesis and accumulation are not clearly understood. Here, we report a telomere-to-telomere consensus assembly of double-petal J. sambac genome along with two haplotype-resolved genomes. We found that gain-and-loss, positive selection, and allelic specific expression of aromatic votatile related genes contributed to the stronger flower fragrance in double-petal J. sambac compared with single- and multi-petal jasmines. Through comprehensive comparative genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses of double-petal J. sambac, we revealed the genetic basis of the production of aromatic volatiles, salicylic acid (SA) and the accumulation of JA under non-stress conditions. We identified several key genes associated with JA biosynthesis, and their non-stress related activities lead to extraordinarily high concentrations of JA in tissues. High JA synthesis coupled with low degradation in J. sambac results in the accumulation of plentiful JA under typical environmental conditions, similar accumulation mechanism of SA. This study offers important insights into the biology of J. sambac, and provides valuable genomic resources for further utilization of natural products.

Multiomics Analysis Reveals the Involvement of JsLHY in Controlling Aroma Production in Jasmine Flowers

“…Thus, only by a full understanding of the molecular mechanism of aroma formation in jasmine can the fragrance release process be effectively regulated to improve aroma utilization. With the completion of genome sequencing of jasmine, a large set of aroma-related structural genes were identified at the whole-genome scale. − Previous studies have revealed that many structural genes are involved in the biosynthesis of VT, VPB, and FADVs during jasmine flower opening. − , These studies laid a foundation for exploring the regulatory mechanisms of jasmine aroma formation. As the mechanisms underlying aroma formation rely on the orchestration of related TFs, which TFs induce the expression of structural genes and promote the synthesis of VOCs within the same time frame in jasmine is an urgent question to be addressed.…”

Jasmonate: the Swiss army knife in the plant’s pocket

“…Last but not least, this special issue includes a research paper by Xu et al (2023) that reports on the Jasminum sambac genome. The authors have obtained a high-quality and telomere-to-telomere assembly consensus genome of the double-petal J. sambac with a contig N50 of 35.96 Mb.…”