Genome Sequence of Elaeagnus mollis, the First Chromosome-Level Genome of the Family Elaeagnaceae

Abstract

Abstract Elaeagnus mollis Diels (Elaeagnaceae) is a species of shrubs and/or dwarf trees that produces highly nutritious nuts with abundant oil and pharmaceutical properties. It is endemic to China but endangered. Therefore, to facilitate the protection of its genetic resources and the development of its commercially attractive traits we generated a high-quality genome of E. mollis. The contig version of the genome (630.96 Mb long) was assembled into 14 chromosomes using Hi-C data, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 18.40 and 38.86 Mb, respectively. Further analyses identified 397.49 Mb (63.0%) of repetitive sequences and 27,130 protein-coding genes, of which 26,725 (98.5%) were functionally annotated. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Ortholog assessment indicated that 98.0% of highly conserved plant genes are completely present in the genome. This is the first reference genome for any species of Elaeagnaceae and should greatly facilitate future efforts to conserve, utilize, and elucidate the evolution of this endangered endemic species.