Buckwheat – A Genomic, Transcriptomic and Proteomic View

Abstract

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal from the Polygonaceae family. Two species from this family are commercially exploited – common buckwheat and tartary buckwheat. Buckwheat comes from China, although in recent years, the highest production has been noted in Russia. With its nutritional composition (mainly rutin), it has a beneficial effect on human health. Rutin is mainly contained in the flowers and leaves of buckwheat, and it has antidiabetic, neuroprotective and antioxidant properties; it improves blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels. In addition to rutin, buckwheat contains bioactive peptides that serve as trypsin inhibitors and have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Buckwheat found its use mainly in the field of food and feed production. Amplification polymorphism detection techniques are currently used for the genomic analyses of buckwheat, with 8,884 available markers that include 756 loci. The most frequently used type of molecular markers in buckwheat is the microsatellite markers, which form tandem repeats of short nucleotide motifs. The total number of microsatellites in the tartary buckwheat genome is 37,572, with a frequency of 83.25 microsatellites per 1 Mb. Based on their genetic variability, the buckwheat varieties can be divided into the European and Asian groups, with a lower diversity among the varieties in the European group. Genomic analyses can reveal the genetic relatedness or differences between the individual varieties, as well as losses in genetic purity. The transcriptomic analyses are primarily devoted to the expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of flavonoids, but also those involved in the plant's defense mechanisms, development etc. Molecular analyses revealed that the expression of genes supporting the synthesis of rutin can be favorably influenced by light, darkness, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid etc. Some buckwheat genes were introduced into Arabidopsis, which subsequently showed improved properties, for example, resistance to drought. These findings not only enhance our understanding of buckwheat at a fundamental level but also hold practical significance for breeding programs focused on enhancing nutritional and agronomic traits in buckwheat varieties.