背景回顾：The Great Himalayan Mountains and their foothills are believed to be the place of origin and development of many plant species. 

提出问题：The genetic basis of adaptation to high plateaus is a fascinating topic that is poorly understood at the population level. 

主要研究：We comprehensively collected and sequenced 377 accessions of Prunus germplasm along altitude gradients ranging from 2,067 to 4,492 m in the Himalayas. 

结果1-比较基因组学：We de novo assembled three high-quality genomes of Tibetan Prunus species. A comparative analysis of Prunus genomes indicated a remarkable expansion of the SINE retrotransposons occurred in the genomes of Tibetan species. 

结果2-遗传分化：We observed genetic differentiation between Tibetan peaches from high and low altitudes and that genes associated with light stress signaling, especially UV stress signaling, were enriched in the differentiated regions. 

结果3-代谢组学：By profiling the metabolomes of Tibetan peach fruit, we determined 379 metabolites had significant genetic correlations with altitudes and that in particular phenylpropanoids were positively correlated with altitudes. 

结果4-关联分析：We identified 62 Tibetan peach-specific SINEs that colocalized with metabolites differentially accumualted in Tibetan relative to cultivated peach. We demonstrated that two SINEs were inserted in a locus controlling the accumulation of 3-O-feruloyl quinic acid. SINE1 was specific to Tibetan peach. SINE2 was predominant in high altitudes and associated with the accumulation of 3-O-feruloyl quinic acid. 

结论：These genomic and metabolic data for Prunus populations native to the Himalayan region indicate that the expansion of SINE retrotransposons helped Tibetan Prunus species adapt to the harsh environment of the Himalayan plateau by promoting the accumulation of beneficial metabolites.

 摘 要 

喜马拉雅山脉及其山麓被认为是许多植物物种的起源和壮大的地方。适应高原环境的遗传基础是植物科学的研究热点，但群体水平的机制还不清楚。本文中，作者收集并测序了377份李属种质材料，这些材料沿海拔梯度2067m～4492m分布在喜马拉雅地区。作者从头组装了三个高质量的西藏李属植物基因组。比较基因组学分析显示，西藏李属物种基因组中发生了显著的SINE逆转座子的扩张。作者发现，高海拔和低海拔的藏桃发生了明显的遗传分化，涉及的基因主要与光胁迫信号转导，尤其是紫外胁迫信号转导相关。通过对藏桃果实的代谢图谱分析，作者鉴定了379个与海拔具有显著遗传相关的代谢物，尤其是苯丙烷类显著与海拔呈正相关关系。作者还鉴定了62个藏桃特异性SINEs，这些SINEs与藏桃差异于栽培桃积累的代谢物共定位。作者发现了有两个SINEs插入到了控制3-O-阿魏酰基奎宁酸积累的位点上。其中，SINE1特异于藏桃；SINE2主要存在于高海拔的藏桃中，与3-O-阿魏酰基奎宁酸的积累相关。本文所报道的喜马拉雅地区天然李属物种的基因组和代谢组数据，揭示了SINE逆转座子通过促进有益代谢物质的积累，帮助西藏李属植物适应喜马拉雅高原的恶劣环境。

 通讯作者 

** 徐强 **