Asparagus setaceus is a popular ornamental plant cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions globally. A new study constructed a chromosome-scale reference genome of A. setaceus to facilitate the investigation of its genome characteristics and evolution.
Using a combination of Nanopore long reads, Illumina short reads, 10× Genomics linked reads, and Hi-C data, researchers generated a high-quality genome assembly of A. setaceus covering 710.15 Mb, accounting for 98.63% of the estimated genome size. A total of 96.85% of the sequences were anchored to ten superscaffolds corresponding to the ten chromosomes.
The genome of A. setaceus was predicted to contain 28,410 genes, 25,649 (90.28%) of which were functionally annotated. A total of 65.59% of the genome was occupied by repetitive sequences, among which long terminal repeats were predominant (42.51% of the whole genome).
Evolutionary analysis revealed an estimated divergence time of A. setaceus from its close relative A. officinalis of ~9.66 million years ago, and A. setaceus underwent two rounds of whole-genome duplication. In addition, 762 specific gene families, 96 positively selected genes, and 76 resistance (R) genes were detected and functionally predicted in A. setaceus.
These findings provide new knowledge about the characteristics and evolution of the A. setaceus genome, and will facilitate comparative genetic and genomic research on the genus Asparagus.
