Chromosomal-Level Reference Genome of the Neotropical Tree Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don.

Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don is a deciduous tree widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics of the world. It is famous for its beautiful blue flowers and pinnate compound leaves. In addition, this tree has great potential in environmental monitoring, soil quality improvement, and medicinal applications. However, a genome resource for J. mimosifolia has not been reported to date. In this study, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of J. mimosifolia using PacBio sequencing, Illumina sequencing, and Hi-C technology. The final genome assembly was ∼707.32 Mb in size, 688.76 Mb (97.36%) of which could be grouped into 18 pseudochromosomes, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 16.77 and 39.98 Mb, respectively. A total of 30,507 protein-coding genes were predicted, 95.17% of which could be functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis among 12 plant species confirmed the close genetic relationship between J. mimosifolia and Handroanthus impetiginosus. Gene family clustering revealed 481 unique, 103 significantly expanded, and 16 significantly contracted gene families in the J. mimosifolia genome. This chromosome-level genome assembly of J. mimosifolia will provide a valuable genomic resource for elucidating the genetic bases of the morphological characteristics, adaption evolution, and active compounds biosynthesis of J. mimosifolia.
(© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.)