Scientists decipher the code for the soft-seed pomegranate "Tunisia" genome

Tunisian pomegranate
pomegranate do not spit seeds, soft seed pomegranate can do! However, compared with hard-seed pomegranate, the characteristics of the widely cultivated soft-seed pomegranate "Tunisia" are not antifreeze seriously threatening and restricting the healthy development of the industry.
Recently, Plant Biotechnology Journal published online a high-quality genome map of soft-seed pomegranate "Tunisia" completed by Cao Shangyin, a researcher at Zhengzhou Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which provides support for the analysis of the differentiated genetic mechanism of soft-seed and hard-seed pomegranate varieties, and lays an important foundation for the study of softseed pomegranate genetic improvement.
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an ancient deciduous shrub tree species with a long history of cultivation. Cao Shangyin, author of the paper, told the China Science Daily that pomegranates are known as the "fruit of life" and that their peels, flesh and seeds are rich in flavonoids, polyphenols, anthroxine and other antioxidants, which are conducive to the prevention of high blood lipids, hypertension, HIV, infectious diseases, coronary heart disease, prostate cancer and other diseases. In particular, soft-seed pomegranate varieties, small grain hardness, easy to swallow when eating, to avoid the loss of nutrition;Dr. Xiang Luo, the first author of the
paper, said the study obtained a high-quality genome sequence of soft-seeded pomegranate "Tunisia" based on second- and third-generation sequencing, with a genome size of 320.31 Mb and Contig N50 of 4.49 Mb, with 33,594 genes annotated. The 97.76% sequence was assembled into eight pairs of chromosomes using Hi-C optical technology combined with genetic maps. Compared with the existing "Taishan Red" pomegranate genome, "Tunisia" assembled 46.01Mb sequence, the average length of the Contig N50 increased 46 times, in assembly integrity and accuracy have been greatly improved.
comparative genomics study shows that there are a large number of SNP and InDel variations between the soft-seed "Tunisia" genome and the hard-seeded "Taishan Red" and "Big Stupid Seed" genomes. A population genetic analysis of 26 pomegranate varieties showed that there were a large number of selected spots between soft-seed pomegranate and hard-seeded pomegranate groups. On Chr1, in particular, there are selected segments up to 26.2Mb. Gene annotation information indicates that genes associated with genomic variation and selection signals potentially influence the differentiation of pomegranate hard and soft seed characteristics.
research has been funded by the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the special key projects of the National Science and Technology Foundation.
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