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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 #402771
Research Project: Genetics, Epigenetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology for Fruit and Vegetable Quality

Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research

Title: A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Artemisia argyi reveals unbiased subgenome evolution and key contributions of gene duplication to volatile terpenoid diversity

Author
item CHEN, HONGYU - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item GUO, MIAOXIAN - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item DONG, SHUTING - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item WU, XINGLING - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item ZHANG, GUOBIN - Shandong Agricultural University
item HE, LIU - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item JIAO, YUANNIAN - Institute Of Botany - China
item CHEN, SHILIN - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item Li, Li
item LUO, HONGMEI - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences

Submitted to: Plant Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/31/2022
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Artemisia argyi is a famous traditional Chinese medicine. This study assembled a high-quality chromosome-scale genome of A. argyi. By combination with various omics and functional studies, this study also aids a better understanding of its genome evolution and the diversification of biosynthetic pathways that produce major terpenes in A. argyi. This work establishes a novel and valuable foundation that will contribute to unravelling the genetic diversity and medicinal applications of Artemisia species.

Technical Abstract: Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Vant., a perennial Artemisia herb with an intense fragrance, is widely used in traditional medicine in China and many other Asian countries. Here, we present a chromosome-scale genome assembly of A. argyi comprising 3.89 Gb assembled into 17 pseudochromosomes. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses revealed that A. argyi underwent a recent lineage-specific whole-genome duplication (WGD) event after divergence from Artemisia annua, resulting in two subgenomes. We deciphered the diploid ancestral genome of A. argyi, and unbiased subgenome evolution was observed. The recent WGD led to a large number of duplicated genes in the A. argyi genome. Expansion of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family through various types of gene duplication may have greatly contributed to the diversity of volatile terpenoids in A. argyi. In particular, we identified a typical germacrene D synthase gene cluster within the expanded TPS gene family. The entire biosynthetic pathways of germacrenes, (+)-borneol, and (+)-camphor were elucidated in A. argyi. In addition, partial deletion of the amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) gene and loss of function of ADS homologs may have resulted in the lack of artemisinin production in A. argyi. Our study provides new insights into the genome evolution of Artemisia and lays a foundation for further improvement of the quality of this important medicinal plant.