Abstract
Sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) is an important cultivated vegetable and medicinal plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. In this study, a draft genome sequence of the sponge gourd inbred line P93075 was analyzed. Using Illumina, PacBio, and 10× Genomics sequencing techniques as well as new assembly techniques such as FALCON and chromatin interaction mapping (Hi-C), a chromosome-scale genome of approximately 656.19 Mb, with an N50 scaffold length of 48.76 Mb, was generated. From this assembly, 25,508 protein-coding gene loci were identified, and 63.81% of the whole-genome consisted of transposable elements, which are major contributors to the expansion of the sponge gourd genome. According to a phylogenetic analysis of conserved genes, the sponge gourd lineage diverged from the bitter gourd lineage approximately 41.6 million years ago. Additionally, many genes that respond to biotic and abiotic stresses were found to be lineage specific or expanded in the sponge gourd genome, as demonstrated by the presence of 462 NBS-LRR genes, a much greater number than are found in the genomes of other cucurbit species; these results are consistent with the high stress resistance of sponge gourd. Collectively, our study provides insights into genome evolution and serves as a valuable reference for the genetic improvement of sponge gourd.
Highlights
Sponge gourd [Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem (L. cylindrica), syn
Quality evaluation To assess the genome size of the sponge gourd inbred line P93075 (Fig. 1, Supplementary Fig. 1), 144.34 Gb of paired-end reads were selected to generate 17-mer frequency data for k-mer analysis
The genome was assessed using the BUSCO21 gene set, which includes 2121 single-copy orthologous genes, and the results indicated that 95.5% of the conserved genes were found in the sponge gourd genome (Supplementary Table S4)
Summary
L. aegyptiaca Mill] is a dicotyledonous vine species belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae that originates in tropical Asia. It is an important vegetable and medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical regions globally[1,2]. Several recent studies have revealed that sponge gourd is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, various minerals (i.e., Mg, Ca, Na, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn)[3,4], tannin, oxalate, phytin phosphorus, and phytic acid[5], indicating its potential as a source of vegetable protein in human diets[4]. Sponge gourd has been widely used in medicine. Alcalase or tryptic protein hydrolysates in its
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
