The draft genome of the fast-growing non-timber forest species moso bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla)

• Published in: Nature genetics Vol. 45; no. 4; pp. 456 - 461
• Main Authors: Peng, Zhenhua, Lu, Ying, Li, Lubin, Zhao, Qiang, Feng, Qi, Gao, Zhimin, Lu, Hengyun, Hu, Tao, Yao, Na, Liu, Kunyan, Li, Yan, Fan, Danlin, Guo, Yunli, Li, Wenjun, Lu, Yiqi, Weng, Qijun, Zhou, CongCong, Zhang, Lei, Huang, Tao, Zhao, Yan, Zhu, Chuanrang, Liu, Xinge, Yang, Xuewen, Wang, Tao, Miao, Kun, Zhuang, Caiyun, Cao, Xiaolu, Tang, Wenli, Liu, Guanshui, Liu, Yingli, Chen, Jie, Liu, Zhenjing, Yuan, Licai, Liu, Zhenhua, Huang, Xuehui, Lu, Tingting, Fei, Benhua, Ning, Zemin, Han, Bin, Jiang, Zehui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.04.2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/208/212; 631/208/2491; Agriculture; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Bamboo; Bambusa - genetics; Bambusa - growth & development; Bambusoideae; Biomedicine; Biosynthesis; Cancer Research; Cell Wall - genetics; Cell Wall - metabolism; Comparative analysis; DNA, Plant - genetics; Drought; Droughts; Flowers - genetics; Forest products; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Function; Genes; Genes, Plant; Genetic aspects; Genome, Plant; Genomes; Genomics; Grasses; Human Genetics; letter; Multigene Family; Phyllostachys; Phylogenetics; RNA sequencing; RNA, Plant - genetics; Trees - genetics; China
• ISSN: 1061-4036; 1546-1718
• DOI: 10.1038/ng.2569

Bin Han and colleagues report the draft genome of moso bamboo, an important non-timber forest product. RNA sequencing analysis of bamboo flowering tissues suggests a connection between drought-responsive genes and potential flowering genes. Bamboo represents the only major lineage of grasses that is native to forests and is one of the most important non-timber forest products in the world. However, no species in the Bambusoideae subfamily has been sequenced. Here, we report a high-quality draft genome sequence of moso bamboo ( P. heterocycla var. pubescens ). The 2.05-Gb assembly covers 95% of the genomic region. Gene prediction modeling identified 31,987 genes, most of which are supported by cDNA and deep RNA sequencing data. Analyses of clustered gene families and gene collinearity show that bamboo underwent whole-genome duplication 7–12 million years ago. Identification of gene families that are key in cell wall biosynthesis suggests that the whole-genome duplication event generated more gene duplicates involved in bamboo shoot development. RNA sequencing analysis of bamboo flowering tissues suggests a potential connection between drought-responsive and flowering genes.