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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #309817
Title: The genome of the stress tolerant wild tomato species solanum pennellii

Author
item BOLGER, ANTHONY - Max Planck Society
item SCOSSA, FEDERICO - Max Planck Society
item BOLGER, MARIE - Max Planck Society
item FEI, ZHANGJUN - Boyce Thompson Institute
item ROSE, JOCELYN - Cornell University
item ZAMIR, DANI - Hebrew University Of Jerusalem
item CARARRI, FERNANDO - National Institute Of Agricultural Technology(INTA)
item Giovannoni, James
item WEIGEL, DETLEF - Max Planck Society
item FERNIE, ALISDAIR - Max Planck Society

Submitted to: Nature Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2014
Publication Date: 7/27/2014
Citation: Bolger, A., Scossa, F., Bolger, M., Fei, Z., Rose, J., Zamir, D., Cararri, F., Giovannoni, J.J., Weigel, D., Fernie, A. 2014. The genome of the stress tolerant wild tomato species solanum pennellii. Nature Genetics. 46:1034-1038.

Interpretive Summary: The wild tomato species Solanum pennellii is endemic to the Andes regions of South America, can be crossed with cultivated tomatoes (S. lycopersicum), and is used as a source of drought and pathogen resistance in addition to yield and fruit quality traits by tomato breeders. Here we report the sequencing of the genome of this wild tomato species. The genome sequence will greatly enhance the use of this species in both more efficient breeding and basic biological inquiries into the genes that distinguish tomato from this wild relative.

Technical Abstract: Solanum pennellii is a wild tomato species endemic to Andean regions in South America, where it has evolved to thrive in arid habitats1. It exhibits extreme stress tolerance and introgression lines (ILs) in which large genomic regions of cultivated tomato (S. lycopersicum) are replaced with the corresponding segments from S. pennellii can show superior agronomic performance2. Here we describe the genomes of the parents of an important S. pennellii x S. lycopersicum IL population. Using a high-quality genome assembly anchored to the genetic map, we define candidate genes for stress tolerance and provide evidence that transposable elements played a role in the evolution of these traits. Our work paves a path towards further tomato improvement, and for deciphering the mechanisms underlying the myriad of agronomic traits that can be improved with S. pennellii germplasm.