Research Press Release
Nature Communications
January 24, 2024
The genome assembly of Coffea arabica, which underpins about 60% of the world’s coffee production, has been improved, revealing some of the sources of genetic variation that may contribute to the unique flavor and resistance to pathogens of Arabica. It was revealed. A paper reporting this isNature CommunicationsPublished in
Commercially available coffee is mainly produced from Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica, known as Coffea Robusta and Coffea Arabica, respectively. Coffea arabica is derived from a cross between the respective ancestors of modern Coffea robusta and another closely related species, Coffea eugeniodes. The result of this crossbreeding is the coffee Arabica flavor and large, complex genome, which creates challenges for breeding and genetic research. Currently, several partial genome assemblies are available for Coffea arabica, but the mechanisms that generate genetic diversity have not been elucidated.
Now, Michele Morgante, Gabriele Di Gaspero, and colleagues have used the latest sequencing technology to create a more complete Coffea arabica genome assembly than ever before, allowing detailed structural analysis of its chromosomes. It is now possible to analyze genomes that include previously unexplored regions (e.g., pericentromeric regions), and to identify differences in the structure, function, and evolution of the genomes derived from the two parental species (Coffea robusta and C. eugeniodes). I found out something. In particular, differences were observed in genes involved in caffeine biosynthesis. They also analyzed the genomes of 174 samples collected from various Coffea species and found that genetic diversity within the Coffea arabica species is very low. Some cultivated Coffea arabica species have been found to be highly diverse in specific genomic regions, and two factors contributing to this diversity are chromosomal abnormalities and Robusta-Arabica hybrids (Timor hybrids). It was shown that the chromosome fragment was derived from The Timor hybrid has become the parent strain for many current cultivars, combining the disease resistance of Robusta coffee with the unique flavor of Arabica coffee.
The authors believe that genetic diversity in Coffea arabica is critical to the commercial success of Coffea arabica and that the findings could help develop new coffee varieties with desirable traits such as disease resistance or new flavor profiles. shows the opinion that there is a
doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44449-8
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