Genome-Wide Screening and Characterization of Non-Coding RNAs in Coffea canephora

Abstract

Coffea canephora grains are highly traded commodities worldwide. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are transcriptional products involved in genome regulation, environmental responses, and plant development. There is not an extensive genome-wide analysis that uncovers the ncRNA portion of the C. canephora genome. This study aimed to provide a curated characterization of six ncRNA classes in the Coffea canephora genome. For this purpose, we employed a combination of similarity-based and structural-based computational approaches with stringent curation. Candidate ncRNA loci had expression evidence analyzed using sRNA-seq libraries. We identified 7455 ncRNA loci (6976 with transcriptional evidence) in the C. canephora genome. This comprised of total 115 snRNAs, 1031 snoRNAs, 92 miRNA precursors, 602 tRNAs, 72 rRNAs, and 5064 lncRNAs. For miRNAs, we identified 159 putative high-confidence targets. This study was the most extensive genomic catalog of curated ncRNAs in the Coffea genus. This data might help elaborating more robust hypotheses in future comparative genomic studies as well as gene regulation and genome dynamics, helping to understand the molecular basis of domestication, environmental adaptation, resistance to pests and diseases, and coffee productivity.