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Jatropha curcas L. is a potential bioenergy crop but has a lack of improved cultivars with high yields and oil content. Therefore, increasing our understanding of J. curcas germplasm is important for designing breeding strategies. This study was performed to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Indonesian J. curcas populations from six different islands. To construct a reference, we de novo assembled the scaffolds (N50 = 355.5 kb) using 182 Gb Illumina HiSeq sequencing data from Thai J. curcas variety Chai Nat. Genetic diversity analysis among 52 Indonesian J. curcas accessions was conducted based on yield traits and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers detected by mapping genotyping-by-sequencing reads from Indonesian population to Chai Nat scaffolds. Strong variation in yield traits was detected among accessions. Using J. integerrima as an outgroup, 13,916 SNPs were detected. Among J. curcas accessions, including accessions from other countries (Thailand, the Philippines and China), 856 SNPs were detected, but only 297 SNPs were detected among Indonesian J. curcas populations, representing low genetic diversity. Through phylogenetic and structural analysis, the populations were clustered into two major groups. Group one consists of populations from Bangka and Sulawesi in the northern part of Indonesia, which are located at a distance of 1572.59 km. Group two contains populations from islands in the southern part: Java, Lombok-Sumbawa, Flores and Timor. These results indicate that introduction of diverse J. curcas germplasms is necessary for the improvement of the genetic variation in the Indonesian collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing ( AS) can produce multiple mature mRNAs from the same primary transcript, thereby generating diverse proteins and phenotypes from the same gene. To assess the prevalence of AS in mungbean ( Vigna radiata), we analysed whole-genome RNA sequencing data from root, leaf, flower and pod tissues and found that at least 37.9% of mungbean genes are subjected to AS. The number of AS transcripts exhibited a strong correlation with exon number and thus resembled a uniform probabilistic event rather than a specific regulatory function. The proportion of frameshift splicing was close to the expected frequency of random splicing. However, alternative donor and acceptor AS events tended to occur at multiples of three nucleotides (i.e. the codon length) from the main splice site. Genes with high exon number and expression level, which should have the most AS if splicing is purely stochastic, exhibited less AS, implying the existence of negative selection against excessive random AS. Functional AS is probably rare: a large proportion of AS isoforms exist at very low copy per cell on average or are expressed at much lower levels than default transcripts. Conserved AS was only detected in 629 genes (2.8% of all genes in the genome) when compared to Vigna angularis, and in 16 genes in more distant species like soya bean. These observations highlight the challenges of finding and cataloguing candidates for experimentally proven AS isoforms in a crop genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) hybrid varieties is limited compared to those in chili, bell or sweet pepper hybrid. Heterosis, heterobeltiosis, and reciprocal are critical indicators in F1 hybrids, valuable for developing hybrid varieties. This research aimed to evaluate both phenotypic and genotypic changes in F1 hybrids from single cross-hybridization. The study observed 53 phenotypic characteristics encompassing morphological (plant, leaves, flowers, and fruits), four production-related (fruit weight, fruit number per plant, fruit weight per plant, and yield per hectare), and 10 chemical characteristics (proximate, simple sugar, and secondary metabolite). Genotypic changes were analyzed using ten SSR markers. Employing a randomized complete block design, the study included two parents, F1, and reciprocal F1 hybrids, across four treatments with two replicates each. Phenotypic changes were analyzed using ANOVA and comparison test, while genotypic changes were analyzed through cluster analysis. Result indicated heterosis in 12 characters, heterobeltiosis in eight characters, and reciprocal effects in eight characters. Significant improvements were noted in key characteristics such as plant height, fruit maturity, fruit weight per plant, yield per hectare and vitamin C. Genotypic evaluation revealed distinct genetic differences between F1 and its parents, including the reciprocal F1. These phenotypic and genotypic changes suggest that hot pepper could be more productive and of higher quality when developed as a hybrid variety, indicating promising avenue for future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is an important crop in Indonesia and its consumption has consistently surpassed local production in recent times. As the average yield is relatively low, a more efficient breeding programme that utilizes the latest technological developments in DNA analysis is required. To provide a genomic data resource for future breeding programmes, in this study, whole-genome sequencing was performed for five Indonesian soybean varieties, with an average sequencing depth of 34 reads. Comparison of these sequences with the Williams 82 reference sequence revealed 3,150,869 DNA variations, which averages to one variation in every 308 bases. Comparison of these variations with known single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SoyKB database revealed that approximately 29% of them were novel SNPs unique to the Indonesian cultivars. Variations found within exons totalled 95,154. Of these, 57,171 were capable of causing mutations that would modify the amino-acid composition of the encoded proteins (nonsynonymous mutations). Phylogenetic analysis using a subset of these SNP data indicated that the cultivars had genetic similarities to landraces from China and Japan, which could provide clues to the origin of soybeans that were introduced into Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the structure and genetic diversity of rice populations of Southeast Asian varieties, based on quantitative morphological and molecular traits. Population structure analysis revealed four distinct populations as ancestral origin of the varieties in the collection. Some traditional varieties from different countries share the same ancestry, while on the other hand, admixture was observed in the ancestry of some varieties. High diversity in quantitative morphological traits was confirmed in the rice collection. Spikelet fertility and plant height contributed significantly to the diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Jatropha curcas (physic nut), a non‐edible oilseed crop, represents one of the most promising alternative energy sources due to its high seed oil content, rapid growth and adaptability to various environments. We report ~339 Mbp draft whole genome sequence of J. curcas var. Chai Nat using both the PacBio and Illumina sequencing platforms. We identified and categorized differentially expressed genes related to biosynthesis of lipid and toxic compound among four stages of seed development. Triacylglycerol (TAG), the major component of seed storage oil, is mainly synthesized by phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Jatropha, and continuous high expression of homologs of oleosin over seed development contributes to accumulation of high level of oil in kernels by preventing the breakdown of TAG. A physical cluster of genes for diterpenoid biosynthetic enzymes, including casbene synthases highly responsible for a toxic compound, phorbol ester, in seed cake, was syntenically highly conserved between Jatropha and castor bean. Transcriptomic analysis of female and male flowers revealed the up‐regulation of a dozen family of TFs in female flower. Additionally, we constructed a robust species tree enabling estimation of divergence times among nine Jatropha species and five commercial crops in Malpighiales order. Our results will help researchers and breeders increase energy efficiency of this important oil seed crop by improving yield and oil content, and eliminating toxic compound in seed cake for animal feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of next-generation sequencers and advanced genotyping technologies has propelled the field of plant genomics in model crops and plants and enhanced the discovery of hidden bridges between genotypes and phenotypes. The newly generated reference sequences of unstudied minor plants can be annotated by the knowledge of model plants via translational genomics approaches. Here, we reviewed the strategies of translational genomics and suggested perspectives on the current databases of genomic resources and the database structures of translated information on the new genome. As a draft picture of phenotypic annotation, translational genomics on newly sequenced plants will provide valuable assistance for breeders and researchers who are interested in genetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation on cytosine residues is known to affect gene expression and is potentially responsible for the phenotypic variations among different crop cultivars. Here, we present the whole-genome DNA methylation profiles and assess the potential effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for two mungbean cultivars, Sunhwanogdu (VC1973A) and Kyunggijaerae#5 (V2984). By measuring the DNA methylation levels in leaf tissue with the bisulfite sequencing (BSseq) approach, we show both the frequencies of the various types of DNA methylation and the distribution of weighted gene methylation levels. SNPs that cause nucleotide changes from/to CHH - where C is cytosine and H is any other nucleotide - were found to affect DNA methylation status in VC1973A and V2984. In order to better understand the correlation between gene expression and DNA methylation levels, we surveyed gene expression in leaf tissues of VC1973A and V2984 using RNAseq. Transcript expressions of paralogous genes were controlled by DNA methylation within the VC1973A genome. Moreover, genes that were differentially expressed between the two cultivars showed distinct DNA methylation patterns. Our mungbean genome-wide methylation profiles will be valuable resources for understanding the phenotypic variations between different cultivars, as well as for molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]