title: The sacred lotus genome provides insights into the evolution of flowering plants.
abstract: Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an ornamental plant that is also used for food and medicine. This basal eudicot species is especially important from an evolutionary perspective, as it occupies a critical phylogenetic position in flowering plants. Here we report the draft genome of a wild strain of sacred lotus. The assembled genome is 792 Mb, which is approximately 85-90% of genome size estimates. We annotated 392 Mb of repeat sequences and 36,385 protein-coding genes within the genome. Using these sequence data, we constructed a phylogenetic tree and confirmed the basal location of sacred lotus within eudicots. Importantly, we found evidence for a relatively recent whole-genome duplication event; any indication of the ancient paleo-hexaploid event was, however, absent. Genomic analysis revealed evidence of positive selection within 28 embryo-defective genes and one annexin gene that may be related to the long-term viability of sacred lotus seed. We also identified a significant expansion of starch synthase genes, which probably elevated starch levels within the rhizome of sacred lotus. Sequencing this strain of sacred lotus thus provided important insights into the evolution of flowering plant and revealed genetic mechanisms that influence seed dormancy and starch synthesis.
authors: Wuhan Vegetable Research Institute, Wuhan, 430065, China.
authors: Yun
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Guangyi
authors: G
authors: Fan
authors: Yiman
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Fengming
authors: F
authors: Sun
authors: Chengcheng
authors: C
authors: Shi
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Peng
authors: Wenbin
authors: W
authors: Chen
authors: Xinfang
authors: X
authors: Huang
authors: Shifeng
authors: S
authors: Cheng
authors: Yuping
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Xinming
authors: X
authors: Liang
authors: Honglian
authors: H
authors: Zhu
authors: Chao
authors: C
authors: Bian
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Zhong
authors: Tian
authors: T
authors: Lv
authors: Hongxia
authors: H
authors: Dong
authors: Weiqing
authors: W
authors: Liu
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Zhong
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Chen
authors: Zhiwu
authors: Z
authors: Quan
authors: Zhihong
authors: Z
authors: Wang
authors: Benzhong
authors: B
authors: Tan
authors: Chufa
authors: C
authors: Lin
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Mu
authors: Xun
authors: X
authors: Xu
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Ding
authors: An-Yuan
authors: AY
authors: Guo
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Weidong
authors: W
authors: Ke
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D031653:Nelumbo / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D057445:Plant Dormancy / Q000235:genetics; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013213:Starch / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D013213:Starch
keywords: basal eudicots; sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) genome; seed dormancy and development; starch synthesis; γ whole genome duplication