Abstract
The allotetraploid plant Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco) is a major crop species and a model organism, for which only very fragmented genomic sequences are currently available. Here we report high-quality draft genomes for three main tobacco varieties. These genomes show both the low divergence of tobacco from its ancestors and microsynteny with other Solanaceae species. We identify over 90,000 gene models and determine the ancestral origin of tobacco mosaic virus and potyvirus disease resistance in tobacco. We anticipate that the draft genomes will strengthen the use of N. tabacum as a versatile model organism for functional genomics and biotechnology applications.
Highlights
The allotetraploid plant Nicotiana tabacum is a major crop species and a model organism, for which only very fragmented genomic sequences are currently available
These represent a reduction of 4–8% of the tobacco genome compared with the sum of the ancestral N. sylvestris (2.59 Gb) and N. tomentosiformis (2.22 Gb), which is consistent with the previously published downsizing of 3.7%
Accuracy was verified by mapping tobacco transcriptomics data, by assessing the consistency with tobacco physical and genetic maps, and through comparison of N. tabacum S- and T genomes to ancestral (N. sylvestris and N. tomentosiformis) genomes
Summary
The allotetraploid plant Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco) is a major crop species and a model organism, for which only very fragmented genomic sequences are currently available. Common tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is one of the most widely cultivated non-food crops worldwide and is grown in B120 countries1 It belongs to the Nicotiana genus, which is named after Jean Nicot de Villemain who, in 1560, became the first person to import these plants from the Americas to Europe. Tobacco is a model plant organism for studying fundamental biological processes, and is the source of the BY-2 plant cell line, which is a key tool for plant molecular research10 It is used as a model for plant disease susceptibility, which it shares with other Solanaceae plants including potato, tomato and pepper. We describe the major alkaloid biosynthesis pathway in Nicotiana species, as well as glutamate/aspartate pathways in the three main tobacco types
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