Park Hyeonseon, Bae Eunji, Jung Jae Gyeong, Kim Jaewook, Choi Bae Young, Lee Geungjoo, Kim Changsoo, Shim Donghwan
Department of Biological Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Forest Biomaterials Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
Plant Genome. 2025 Sep;18(3):e70070. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.70070.
Zoysia sinica is a perennial grass that thrives in intertidal zones, even under extreme waterlogging stress. In this study, we present a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of Z. sinica, with a total size of 312.67 Mb. Through genome annotation, we identified 29,551 protein-coding genes in the Z. sinica genome and re-annotated 32,925, 53,226, and 53,656 genes in the previously reported Zoysia genomes: Zoysia japonica, Zoysia matrella, and Zoysia pacifica, respectively. Genome divergence analysis indicated that the Zoysia species diverged relatively recently, approximately 3.63 million years ago. Comparative genomic analysis revealed an expansion of ethylene response factors and identified Z. sinica-specific genes related to the response to auxin and ethylene. Transcriptome data from intertidal environments with different levels of waterlogging showed significant upregulation of nitrate transporters (NRT2.2 and NRT2.4) in roots and genes involved in suberin biosynthesis in shoots. Additionally, various transporters were responsive to the intertidal environment. Our study provides insights into the intertidal adaptation of Zoysia species and offers a foundation for the development of stress-tolerant cultivars.
中华结缕草是一种多年生草本植物，即使在极端涝渍胁迫下也能在潮间带茁壮生长。在本研究中，我们展示了中华结缕草高质量的染色体水平基因组组装，其总大小为312.67 Mb。通过基因组注释，我们在中华结缕草基因组中鉴定出29,551个蛋白质编码基因，并分别对先前报道的结缕草属基因组：日本结缕草、细叶结缕草和太平洋结缕草中的32,925、53,226和53,656个基因进行了重新注释。基因组分化分析表明，结缕草属物种的分化相对较近，大约在363万年前。比较基因组分析揭示了乙烯反应因子的扩增，并鉴定出与生长素和乙烯反应相关的中华结缕草特异性基因。来自不同涝渍水平潮间带环境的转录组数据显示，根中的硝酸盐转运蛋白（NRT2.2和NRT2.4）以及茎中参与木栓质生物合成的基因显著上调。此外，各种转运蛋白对潮间带环境有响应。我们的研究为结缕草属物种的潮间带适应性提供了见解，并为耐胁迫品种的开发奠定了基础。
