Genome assembly provides insights into the genome evolution of Baccaurea ramiflora Lour.

Abstract

AbstractBaccaurea ramiflora Lour., an evergreen tree of the Baccaurea genus of the Phyllanthaceae family, is primarily distributed in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China, including southern Yunnan Province. It is a wild or semi-cultivated tree species with ornamental, edible, and medicinal value, exhibiting significant development potential. In this study, we present the whole-genome sequencing of B. ramiflora, employing a combination of PacBio SMRT and Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing techniques. The assembled genome size was 975.8 Mb, with a contig N50 of 509.33 kb and the longest contig measuring 7.74 Mb. The genome comprises approximately 73.47% highly repetitive sequences, of which 52.1% are long terminal repeat–retrotransposon sequences. A total of 29,172 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 25,980 (89.06%) have been annotated, Additionally, 3452 non-coding RNAs were identified. Comparative genomic analysis revealed a close relationship between B. ramiflora and the Euphorbiaceae family, with both being sister groups that diverged approximately 59.9 million years ago. During the evolutionary process, B. ramiflora exhibited positive selection in 278 candidate genes. Synonymous substitution rate and collinearity analysis demonstrated that B. ramiflora underwent a single ancient genome-wide triploidization event, without recent genome-wide duplication events. This high-quality B. ramiflora genome provides a valuable resource for basic research and tree improvement programs focusing on the Phyllanthaceae family.