Division of Bio & Medical Bigdata Department (BK4 Program), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Commun Biol. 2021 Jul 22;4(1):900. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02422-5.
Watermeal, Wolffia australiana, is the smallest known flowering monocot and is rich in protein. Despite its great potential as a biotech crop, basic research on Wolffia is in its infancy. Here, we generated the reference genome of a species of watermeal, W. australiana, and identified the genome-wide features that may contribute to its atypical anatomy and physiology, including the absence of roots, adaxial stomata development, and anaerobic life as a turion. In addition, we found evidence of extensive genome rearrangements that may underpin the specialized aquatic lifestyle of watermeal. Analysis of the gene inventory of this intriguing species helps explain the distinct characteristics of W. australiana and its unique evolutionary trajectory.
水绵，Wolffia australiana，是已知的最小的开花单子叶植物，富含蛋白质。尽管它作为一种生物技术作物具有巨大的潜力，但对 Wolffia 的基础研究还处于起步阶段。在这里，我们生成了一种水绵，W. australiana 的参考基因组，并确定了可能有助于其非典型解剖结构和生理学的全基因组特征，包括无根、上表面气孔发育和作为芽球的厌氧生活。此外，我们发现了广泛的基因组重排的证据，这可能是水绵特殊水生生活方式的基础。对这个有趣物种的基因库的分析有助于解释 W. australiana 的独特特征及其独特的进化轨迹。
