The genome of broomcorn millet

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 436 - 11
• Main Authors: Zou, Changsong, Li, Leiting, Miki, Daisuke, Li, Delin, Tang, Qiming, Xiao, Lihong, Rajput, Santosh, Deng, Ping, Peng, Li, Jia, Wei, Huang, Ru, Zhang, Meiling, Sun, Yidan, Hu, Jiamin, Fu, Xing, Schnable, Patrick S., Chang, Yuxiao, Li, Feng, Zhang, Hui, Feng, Baili, Zhu, Xinguang, Liu, Renyi, Schnable, James C., Zhu, Jian-Kang, Zhang, Heng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25.01.2019; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 45/22; 45/23; 45/90; 45/91; 631/208/212/748; 631/449/2661/2665; 631/449/447/8; Adaptation, Physiological - genetics; Base Sequence; Biological Evolution; Carbon Cycle; Carbon fixation; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes; Chromosomes, Plant - chemistry; Coexistence; Drought resistance; Gene Ontology; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genetic analysis; Genome, Plant; Genomes; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Homology; Humanities and Social Sciences; MicroRNAs - classification; MicroRNAs - genetics; Millet; miRNA; Molecular Sequence Annotation; multidisciplinary; Nucleotide sequence; Panicum - classification; Panicum - genetics; Panicum miliaceum; Photosynthesis; Phylogeny; Plant Breeding; Plant Proteins - genetics; Proteins; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Plant - genetics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stress, Physiological; Synteny; Ubiquitin; Ubiquitin-protein ligase; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - genetics; Water use; Water use efficiency
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08409-5

Broomcorn millet ( Panicum miliaceum L.) is the most water-efficient cereal and one of the earliest domesticated plants. Here we report its high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly using a combination of short-read sequencing, single-molecule real-time sequencing, Hi-C, and a high-density genetic map. Phylogenetic analyses reveal two sets of homologous chromosomes that may have merged ~5.6 million years ago, both of which exhibit strong synteny with other grass species. Broomcorn millet contains 55,930 protein-coding genes and 339 microRNA genes. We find Paniceae-specific expansion in several subfamilies of the BTB (broad complex/tramtrack/bric-a-brac) subunit of ubiquitin E3 ligases, suggesting enhanced regulation of protein dynamics may have contributed to the evolution of broomcorn millet. In addition, we identify the coexistence of all three C 4 subtypes of carbon fixation candidate genes. The genome sequence is a valuable resource for breeders and will provide the foundation for studying the exceptional stress tolerance as well as C 4 biology. Broomcorn millet is one of the earliest domesticated plants and has the highest water use efficiency among cereals. Here, the authors report its genome assembly and annotation, which provides a valuable resource for breeders and paves the way for studying plant drought tolerance and C 4 photosynthesis.