The genome of broomcorn millet

First author: Changsong Zou; Affiliations: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中科院上海植物逆境生物学研究中心): Shanghai China

Corresponding author: Heng Zhang

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is the most water-efficient cereal and one of the earliest domesticated plants. Here we report its high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly using a combination of short-read sequencing, single-molecule real-time sequencing, Hi-C, and a high-density genetic map. Phylogenetic analyses reveal two sets of homologous chromosomes that may have merged ~5.6 million years ago, both of which exhibit strong synteny with other grass species. Broomcorn millet contains 55,930 protein-coding genes and 339 microRNA genes. We find Paniceae-specific expansion in several subfamilies of the BTB (broad complex/tramtrack/bric-a-brac) subunit of ubiquitin E3 ligases, suggesting enhanced regulation of protein dynamics may have contributed to the evolution of broomcorn millet. In addition, we identify the coexistence of all three C4 subtypes of carbon fixation candidate genes. The genome sequence is a valuable resource for breeders and will provide the foundation for studying the exceptional stress tolerance as well as C4 biology.

糜子是最高水效的谷类作物，也是最早被驯化的植物之一。作者结合短read测序、单分子实时测序、Hi-C和高密度遗传图谱构建了一个高质量的糜子基因组组装版本。系统遗传分析显示糜子基因组由两套同源染色体在大约5.6个百万年之前融合而成，这两套同源染色体与其它草本植物具有非常高的共线性。糜子基因组包含55930个蛋白编码基因以及339个microRNA基因。作者发现禾本科植物在E3泛素连接酶BTB亚基某些亚家族中发生了特有的扩张事件，说明加强的蛋白动态调控可能作用于糜子的演化。另外，作者还鉴定到了3个碳固定候选基因C4亚型同时存在于糜子的基因组中。糜子基因组的报道对于糜子的育种是一个非常重要的遗传资源，同时将为超常的胁迫抗性以及C4生物学方面的研究提供基础。

通讯：张蘅  (http://www.psc.ac.cn/zjj.asp?id=69)

个人简介：1999-2003年，北京大学，学士；2003-2009年，普渡大学，博士；2009-2011年，普渡大学，博士后。

研究方向：极端耐逆植物与表观遗传调控。

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08409-5

Journal: Nature Communications

First Published: January 25, 2019