Genome sequence of the progenitor of the wheat D genome Aegilops tauschii

Abstract

Aegilops tauschii is the diploid progenitor of the D genome of hexaploid wheat 1 (Triticum aestivum, genomes AABBDD) and an important genetic resource for wheat [2][3][4] . The large size and highly repetitive nature of the Ae. tauschii genome has until now precluded the development of a reference-quality genome sequence 5 .Here we use an array of advanced technologies, including orderedclone genome sequencing, whole-genome shotgun sequencing, and BioNano optical genome mapping, to generate a referencequality genome sequence for Ae. tauschii ssp. strangulata accession AL8/78, which is closely related to the wheat D genome. We show that compared to other sequenced plant genomes, including a much larger conifer genome, the Ae. tauschii genome contains unprecedented amounts of very similar repeated sequences. Our genome comparisons reveal that the Ae. tauschii genome has a greater number of dispersed duplicated genes than other sequenced genomes and its chromosomes have been structurally evolving an order of magnitude faster than those of other grass genomes.

Genome‐wide analysis of MIKC‐type MADS‐box genes in wheat: pervasive duplications, functional conservation and putative neofunctionalization

“…An important goal for future research projects will be to infer when during evolution the expansion of some wheat MADS‐box gene subfamilies occurred. The evolutionary history of bread wheat is relatively well understood and the genomes of many of the descendants of the wheat ancestors have been sequenced (Jia et al ., ; Ling et al ., , ; Luo et al ., ; G. Zhao et al ., ). The genome sequences of pasta wheat and the closely related wild emmer have also been determined (Avni et al ., ; Maccaferri et al ., ).…”

Re‐acquisition of the brittle rachis trait via a transposon insertion in domestication gene Q during wheat de‐domestication

“…dicoccoides (Emmer_v5.scaffolds) (Avni et al ., ), T. urartu (Ling et al ., ), Ae . speltoides (International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, ) and A. tauschii (Luo et al ., ). The B last + B lastn algorithm (Camacho et al ., ) was applied for all analyses, with a cut‐off score of 200.…”

A reductionist approach to dissecting grain weight and yield in wheat

“…Recent genetic studies have shown the potential for these wild species to provide useful genetic variation for grain weight that could possibly have been excluded from the gene pool during domestication (Golan et al ; Arora et al ; Avni et al ). The genome sequences and other genomic resources now available for many of these progenitor species and landraces will aid the identification of these novel genes and alleles (Avni et al ; Luo et al ; Wingen et al ).…”