Genetic and functional genomics studies require a high-quality genome assembly. Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), an important horticultural crop, is an ideal model species for the study of fruit development.
This research assembled an updated reference genome of S. lycopersicum cv. Heinz 1706 that was 799.09 Mb in length, containing 34,384 predicted protein-coding genes and 65.66% repetitive sequences. By comparing the genomes of S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium LA2093, the team found a large number of genomic fragments probably associated with human selection, which may have had crucial roles in the domestication of tomato.
The team also used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population to generate a high-density genetic map with high resolution and accuracy. Using these resources, the team identified a number of candidate genes that were likely to be related to important agronomic traits in tomato. These results offer opportunities for understanding the evolution of the tomato genome and will facilitate the study of genetic mechanisms in tomato biology.
Read the complete research at www.researchgate.net.
Su, Xiao & Wang, Baoan & Geng, Xiaolin & Du, Yuefan & Yang, Qinqin & Liang, Bin & Meng, Ge & Gao, Qiang & Yang, Wencai & Zhu, Yingfang & Lin, Tao. (2021). A high-continuity and annotated tomato reference genome. BMC Genomics. 22. 10.1186/s12864-021-08212-x.