Telomere-to-telomere Genome of the Allotetraploid Legume Sesbania cannabina Reveals Transposon-driven Subgenome Divergence and Mechanisms of Alkaline
Published:22 Nov.2023 Source:Science China Life Sciences
Alkaline soils pose an increasing problem for agriculture worldwide, but using stress-tolerant plants as green manure can improve marginal land. Here, we show that the legume Sesbania cannabina is very tolerant to alkaline conditions and, when used as a green manure, substantially improves alkaline soil.
To understand genome evolution and the mechanisms of stress tolerance in this allotetraploid legume, we generated the first telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of S. cannabina spanning~2 087 Mb. The assembly included all centromeric regions, which contain centromeric satellite repeats, and complete chromosome ends with telomeric characteristics. Further genome analysis distinguished A and B subgenomes, which diverged approximately 7.9 million years ago. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the chromosome homoeologs underwent large-scale inversion events (>10 Mb) and a significant, transposon-driven size expansion of the chromosome 5A homoeolog.
We further identified four specific alkali-induced phosphate transporter genes in S. cannabina; these may function in alkali tolerance by relieving the deficiency in available phosphorus in alkaline soil. Our work highlights the significance of S. cannabina as a green tool to improve marginal lands and sheds light on subgenome evolution and adaptation to alkaline soils.