Marcolungo Luca, Bellamoli Francesco, Cecchin Michela, Lopatriello Giulia, Rossato Marzia, Cosentino Emanuela, Rombauts Stephane, Delledonne Massimo, Ballottari Matteo
Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università di Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy.
Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Genomics, University of Ghent, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Gent, Belgium.
Algal Res. 2024 Jun;80:103567. doi: 10.1016/j.algal.2024.103567.
The green alga (formerly ) is a primary source of astaxanthin, a ketocarotenoid with high antioxidant activity and several industrial applications. Here, the highly repetitive genome was reconstructed by exploiting next-generation sequencing integrated with Hi-C scaffolding, obtaining a 151 Mb genome assembly in 32 scaffolds at a near-chromosome level with high continuity. Surprisingly, the distribution of the single-nucleotide-polymorphisms identified demonstrates a diploid configuration for the genome, further validated by Sanger sequencing of heterozygous regions. Functional annotation and RNA-seq data enabled the identification of 13,946 nuclear genes, with >5000 genes not previously identified in this species, providing insights into the molecular basis for metabolic rear-rangement in stressing conditions such as high light and/or nitrogen starvation, where astaxanthin biosynthesis is triggered. These data constitute a rich genetic resource for biotechnological manipulation of highlighting potential targets to improve astaxanthin and carotenoid productivity.
绿藻（以前称为 ）是虾青素的主要来源，虾青素是一种具有高抗氧化活性和多种工业应用的酮类胡萝卜素。在此，通过利用结合Hi-C支架的新一代测序技术重建了高度重复的绿藻基因组，获得了一个151 Mb的基因组组装体，该组装体由32个支架组成，处于近染色体水平，具有高连续性。令人惊讶的是，所鉴定的单核苷酸多态性的分布表明绿藻基因组为二倍体构型，通过对杂合区域的桑格测序进一步验证。功能注释和RNA测序数据使得能够鉴定出13946个核基因，其中超过5000个基因在此物种中以前未被鉴定，这为在高光和/或氮饥饿等应激条件下代谢重排的分子基础提供了见解，在这些条件下虾青素生物合成被触发。这些数据构成了丰富的遗传资源，用于绿藻的生物技术操作，突出了改善虾青素和类胡萝卜素生产力的潜在靶点。
