The international research team led by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and BGI have completed the genome sequence and analysis of a diploid（双倍的） cotton-- Gossypium raimondii. The cotton genome provides an invaluable¹ resource for the study and genetic³ improvement of cotton quality and output, and sheds new lights on understanding the genetic characteristics and evolutionary⁴ mechanism⁵ underlying⁶ cotton and its close relatives. The study was published online in Nature Genetics.

 

Cotton, also known as "white gold," is an important cash crop worldwide. Its fiber⁷ is one of the oldest fibers⁸ under human cultivation⁹, which traces over 7,000 years old recovered from archaeological sites. The cotton production provides income for approximately 100 million families, and approximately 150 countries are involved in cotton import and export. Additionally, in scientific research, cotton also serves as an excellent model system for studying polyploidization（多倍体化）, cell elongation and cell wall biosynthesis.

 

In this study, researchers sequenced the genome of G. raimondii by the next-generation sequencing technology, yielding a draft cotton genome with 103.6-fold genome coverage¹⁰. Over 73% of the assembled sequences were anchored on 13 G. raimondii chromosomes¹². They identified 2,355 syntenic blocks in the G. raimondii genome, and found that approximately 40% of the paralogous genes¹³ were present in more than 1 block, which suggests that this cotton genome has undergone substantial chromosome¹¹ rearrangement during its evolution.

 

Through comprehensive comparison and analysis, researchers observed that one paleohexaploidization event occurred in the G. raimondii genome at approximately 130.8 million years ago, while the event is commonly found in eudicots（真双子叶植物）. They also found the evidence to support a cotton-specific whole-genome duplication event occurred at approximately 13-20million years ago.

 

Cotton is known to produce a unique group of terpenoids such as gossypol. The accumulated gossypol and related sesquiterpenoids produced by cotton in pigment¹⁴ glands¹⁵ can be as a resistance against pathogens and herbivores. The majority of cotton sesquiterpenoids are derived¹⁶ from a common precursor¹⁷ which is synthesized by (+)- δ -cadinene synthase (CDN) in gossypol biosynthesis. Through the phylogenetic analysis on G. raimondii and eight other sequenced plant genomes, they found that the cotton, and probably Theobroma cacao, were the only sequenced plant species that possess an authentic¹⁸ CDN1 gene² family for gossypol biosynthesis.

 

Furthermore, the transcriptomic comparison between the fiber-bearing G. hirsutum and the non-fibered G. raimondii demonstrated that three synthases are important for cotton fiber development, including sucrose synthase (Sus), 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO). Meanwhile, the MYB and bHLH transcription factors preferentially expressed in fiber may be useful to explain the molecular¹⁹ mechanisms²⁰ that are in charge of governing fiber initiation²¹ and early cell growth.

 

Zhiwen Wang, Project Manager at BGI, said, "The completed G.raimondii genome provides a good reference for accelerating the genomic research on tetraploid cotton species such as G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. It also will lay a solid foundation for researchers to further boost cotton quality and productivity by comprehensively exploring the genetic mechanisms underlying cotton fiber initiation, gossypol（棉子酚） biosynthesis and resistance against pathogens and herbivores."

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