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  • Chromosome‐scale reference genome of Pectocarya recurvata , the species with the smallest reported genome size in Boraginaceae

This content will become publicly available on May 1, 2026

Title: Chromosome‐scale reference genome of Pectocarya recurvata , the species with the smallest reported genome size in Boraginaceae
Abstract PremisePectocarya recurvata(Boraginaceae, subfamily Cynoglossoideae), a species native to the Sonoran Desert (North America), has served as a model system for a suite of ecological and evolutionary studies. However, no reference genomes are currently available in Cynoglossoideae. A high‐quality reference genome forP. recurvatawould be valuable for addressing questions in this system and across broader taxonomic scales. MethodsUsing PacBio HiFi sequencing, we assembled a reference genome forP. recurvataand annotated coding regions with full‐length transcripts from an Iso‐Seq library. We assessed genome completeness with BUSCO andk‐mer analysis, and estimated the genome size of six individuals using flow cytometry. ResultsThe chromosome‐scale genome assembly forP. recurvatawas 216.0 Mbp long (N50 = 12.1 Mbp). Previous observations indicatedP. recurvatais 2n = 24. Our assembly included 12 primary contigs (158.3 Mbp) containing 30,655 genes with telomeres at 23 out of 24 ends. Flow cytometry measurements from the same population included two plants with 1C = 196.9 Mbp, the smallest measured for Boraginaceae, and four with 1C = 385.8 Mbp, which is consistent with tetraploidy in this population. DiscussionTheP. recurvatagenome assembly and annotation provide a high‐quality genomic resource in a sparsely represented area of the angiosperm phylogeny. This new reference genome will facilitate answering open questions in ecophysiology, biogeography, and systematics.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2022055
PAR ID:
10632939
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Botanical Society of America
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Applications in Plant Sciences
Volume:
13
Issue:
3
ISSN:
2168-0450
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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