The CucCAP team has constructed a comprehensive genome variation map by sequencing 197 globally representative accessions, uncovering the origin and demographic history of bottle gourd over the past 12000 years. Highly differentiated genomic regions among different populations harbor many genes related to disease resistance and stress tolerance, potentially contributing to their local adaptations. The team has also constructed a bottle gourd pangenome containing ~1500 novel genes absent in the reference genome, revealing that numerous genes involved in abiotic/biotic stress responses are under selection during the worldwide expansion of bottle gourds.
For further reading:
- Genomic and pangenomic analyses provide insights into the population history and genomic diversification of bottle gourd
by: Xuebo Zhao, Jingyin Yu, Bidisha Chanda, Jiantao Zhao, Shan Wu, Yi Zheng, Honghe Sun, Amnon Levi, Kai-Shu Ling, Zhangjun Fei
Published: 19 March 2024 in New Phytologist
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19673
