De novo assembly of white poplar genome and genetic diversity of white poplar population in Irtysh River basin in China

The white poplar(Populus alba) is widely distributed in Central Asia and Europe. There are natural populations of white poplar in Irtysh River basin in China. It also can be cultivated and grown well in northern China. In this study, we sequenced the genome of P. alba by single-molecule real-time technology. De novo assembly of P. alba had a genome size of 415.99 Mb with a contig N50 of 1.18 Mb. A total of 32,963 protein-coding genes were identified. 45.16% of the genome was annotated as repetitive elements. Genome evolution analysis revealed that divergence between P. alba and Populus trichocarpa(black cottonwood)occurred ～5.0 Mya(3.0, 7.1). Fourfold synonymous third-codon transversion(4 DTV) and synonymous substitution rate(ks)distributions supported the occurrence of the salicoid WGD event(～ 65 Mya). Twelve natural populations of P. alba in the Irtysh River basin in China were sequenced to explore the genetic diversity. Average pooled heterozygosity value of P. alba populations was 0.170±0.014, which was lower than that in Italy(0.271±0.051) and Hungary(0.264±0.054). Tajima's D values showed a negative distribution, which might signify an excess of low frequency polymorphisms and a bottleneck with later expansion of P.alba populations examined.

Molecular Characterization of a Dehydroascorbate Reductase from Pinus bungeana

Dehydroascorbate reductase （DHAR） plays a critical role in the ascorbate-glutathione recycling reaction for most higher plants. To date, studies on DHAR in higher plants have focused largely on Arabidopsis and agricultural plants, and there is virtually no information on the molecular characteristics of DHAR in gymnosperms. The present study reports the cloning and characteristics of a DHAR （PbDHAR） from a pine, Pinus bungeana Zucc. ex Endl. The PbDHAR gene encodes a protein of 215 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 24.26 kDa. The predicted 3-D structure of PbDHAR showed a typical glutathione S-transferase fold. Reverse transcripUon-polymerase chain reaction revealed that the PbDHAR was a constitutive expression gene in P. bungeana. The expression level of PbDHAR mRNA in P. bungeana seedlings did not show significant change under high temperature stress. The recombinant PbDHAR was overexpressed in Escherichia coil following purification with affinity chromatography. The recombinant PbDHAR exhibited enzymatic activity （19.84 i.mnol/min per mg） and high affinity （a Krn of 0.08 mM） towards the substrates dehydroascorbate （DHA）. Moreover, the recombinant PbDHAR was a thermostable enzyme, and retained 77% of its initial activity at 55℃. The present study is the first to provide a detailed molecular characterization of the DHAR in P. bungeana.

The Larix kaempferi genome reveals new insights into wood properties

Here,through single-molecule real-time sequencing,we present a high-quality genome sequence of the Japanese larch(Larix kaempferi),a conifer species with great value for wood production and ecological afforestation.The assembled genome is 10.97 Gb in size,harboring 45,828 protein-coding genes.Of the genome,66.8%consists of repeat sequences,of which long terminal repeat retrotransposons are dominant and make up 69.86%.We find that tandem duplications have been responsible for the expansion of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and stress responses,unveiling their crucial roles in adaptive evolution.Population transcriptome analysis reveals that lignin content in L.kaempferi is mainly determined by the process of monolignol polymerization.The expression values of six genes(LkC OMT7,LkC OMT8,LkL AC23,LkL AC102,LkP RX148,and LkP RX166)have significantly positive correlations with lignin content.These results indicated that the increased expression of these six genes might be responsible for the high lignin content of the larches’wood.Overall,this study provides new genome resources for investigating the evolution and biological function of conifer trees,and also offers new insights into wood properties of larches.