The high‐quality genome of Cryptotaenia japonica and comparative genomics analysis reveals anthocyanin biosynthesis in Apiaceae.

SUMMARY: Cryptotaenia japonica, a traditional medicinal and edible vegetable crops, is well‐known for its attractive flavors and health care functions. As a member of the Apiaceae family, the evolutionary trajectory and biological properties of C. japonica are not clearly understood. Here, we first reported a high‐quality genome of C. japonica with a total length of 427 Mb and N50 length 50.76 Mb, was anchored into 10 chromosomes, which confirmed by chromosome (cytogenetic) analysis. Comparative genomic analysis revealed C. japonica exhibited low genetic redundancy, contained a higher percentage of single‐cope gene families. The homoeologous blocks, Ks, and collinearity were analyzed among Apiaceae species contributed to the evidence that C. japonica lacked recent species‐specific WGD. Through comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses of Apiaceae species, we revealed the genetic basis of the production of anthocyanins. Several structural genes encoding enzymes and transcription factor genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in different species were also identified. The CjANSa, CjDFRb, and CjF3H gene might be the target of Cjaponica_2.2062 (bHLH) and Cjaponica_1.3743 (MYB). Our findings provided a high‐quality reference genome of C. japonica and offered new insights into Apiaceae evolution and biology. Significance Statement: Our results indicated how the genome of C. japonica provided a useful model for studying evolutionary trajectory and biological properties in Apiaceae species. Our findings are helpful for enriching genome research of Apiaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]