Chromosome-level genome assembly and characterization of the Calophaca sinica genome

Abstract

Abstract Calophaca sinica is a rare plant endemic to northern China which belongs to the Fabaceae family and possesses rich nutritional value. To support the preservation of the genetic resources of this plant, we have successfully generated a high-quality genome of C. sinica (1.06 Gb). Notably, transposable elements (TEs) constituted ~73% of the genome, with long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) dominating this group of elements (~54% of the genome). The average intron length of the C. sinica genome was noticeably longer than what has been observed for closely related species. The expansion of LTR-RTs and elongated introns emerged had the largest influence on the enlarged genome size of C. sinica in comparison to other Fabaceae species. The proliferation of TEs could be explained by certain modes of gene duplication, namely, whole genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplication (DSD). Gene family expansion, which was found to enhance genes associated with metabolism, genetic maintenance, and environmental stress resistance, was a result of transposed duplicated genes (TRD) and WGD. The presented genomic analysis sheds light on the genetic architecture of C. sinica, as well as provides a starting point for future evolutionary biology, ecology, and functional genomics studies centred around C. sinica and closely related species.