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Wu C, Deng C, Hilario E, Albert NW, Lafferty D, Grierson ERP, Plunkett BJ, Elborough C, Saei A, Günther CS, Ireland H, Yocca A, Edger PP, Jaakola L, Karppinen K, Grande A, Kylli R, Lehtola VP, Allan AC, Espley RV, Chagné D. A chromosome-scale assembly of the bilberry genome identifies a complex locus controlling berry anthocyanin composition. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 22:345-360. [PMID: 34260155 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) belongs to the Vaccinium genus, which includes blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and cranberry (V. macrocarpon). Unlike its cultivated relatives, bilberry remains largely undomesticated, with berry harvesting almost entirely from the wild. As such, it represents an ideal target for genomic analysis, providing comparisons with the domesticated Vaccinium species. Bilberry is prized for its taste and health properties and has provided essential nutrition for Northern European indigenous populations. It contains high concentrations of phytonutrients, with perhaps the most important being the purple colored anthocyanins, found in both skin and flesh. Here, we present the first bilberry genome assembly, comprising 12 pseudochromosomes assembled using Oxford Nanopore (ONT) and Hi-C Technologies. The pseudochromosomes represent 96.6% complete BUSCO genes with an assessed LAI score of 16.3, showing a high conservation of synteny against the blueberry genome. Kmer analysis showed an unusual third peak, indicating the sequenced samples may have been from two individuals. The alternate alleles were purged so that the final assembly represents only one haplotype. A total of 36,404 genes were annotated after nearly 48% of the assembly was masked to remove repeats. To illustrate the genome quality, we describe the complex MYBA locus, and identify the key regulating MYB genes that determine anthocyanin production. The new bilberry genome builds on the genomic resources and knowledge of Vaccinium species, to help understand the genetics underpinning some of the quality attributes that breeding programs aspire to improve. The high conservation of synteny between bilberry and blueberry genomes means that comparative genome mapping can be applied to transfer knowledge about marker-trait association between these two species, as the loci involved in key characters are orthologous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wu
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand.,Genomics Aotearoa, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Cecilia Deng
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand.,Genomics Aotearoa, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Elena Hilario
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand.,Genomics Aotearoa, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Declan Lafferty
- PFR, Palmerston North, New Zealand.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Blue J Plunkett
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Caitlin Elborough
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ali Saei
- BioLumic Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Catrin S Günther
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Hilary Ireland
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Alan Yocca
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.,Department of Horticultural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Patrick P Edger
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Laura Jaakola
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,NIBIO, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Katja Karppinen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Ritva Kylli
- History, Culture and Communication studies, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Andrew C Allan
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard V Espley
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (PFR), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - David Chagné
- Genomics Aotearoa, Dunedin, New Zealand.,PFR, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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