A new reference genome for Sorghum bicolor reveals high levels of sequence similarity between sweet and grain genotypes: implications for the genetics of sugar metabolism
Posted on 2019-05-27 - 05:00
Abstract Background The process of crop domestication often consists of two stages: initial domestication, where the wild species is first cultivated by humans, followed by diversification, when the domesticated species are subsequently adapted to more environments and specialized uses. Selective pressure to increase sugar accumulation in certain varieties of the cereal crop Sorghum bicolor is an excellent example of the latter; this has resulted in pronounced phenotypic divergence between sweet and grain-type sorghums, but the genetic mechanisms underlying these differences remain poorly understood. Results Here we present a new reference genome based on an archetypal sweet sorghum line and compare it to the current grain sorghum reference, revealing a high rate of nonsynonymous and potential loss of function mutations, but few changes in gene content or overall genome structure. We also use comparative transcriptomics to highlight changes in gene expression correlated with high stalk sugar content and show that changes in the activity and possibly localization of transporters, along with the timing of sugar metabolism play a critical role in the sweet phenotype. Conclusions The high level of genomic similarity between sweet and grain sorghum reflects their historical relatedness, rather than their current phenotypic differences, but we find key changes in signaling molecules and transcriptional regulators that represent new candidates for understanding and improving sugar metabolism in this important crop.
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Cooper, Elizabeth; Brenton, Zachary; Flinn, Barry; Jenkins, Jerry; Shu, Shengqiang; Flowers, Dave; et al. (2019). A new reference genome for Sorghum bicolor reveals high levels of sequence similarity between sweet and grain genotypes: implications for the genetics of sugar metabolism. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4519544.v1
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AUTHORS (17)
EC
Elizabeth Cooper
ZB
Zachary Brenton
BF
Barry Flinn
JJ
Jerry Jenkins
SS
Shengqiang Shu
DF
Dave Flowers
FL
Feng Luo
YW
Yunsheng Wang
PX
Penny Xia
KB
Kerrie Barry
CD
Chris Daum
AL
Anna Lipzen
YY
Yuko Yoshinaga
JS
Jeremy Schmutz
CS
Christopher Saski
WV
Wilfred Vermerris
SK
Stephen Kresovich