本期Nature Communications報告了對44種高粱（包括各種不同的高粱子類和地理來源）所做的全基因組重新測序結果。這些數據突顯了栽培高粱的遺傳多樣性,，為這種糧食作物的遺傳改良提供了一個關鍵資源,。
高粱是一種耐旱作物，是撒哈拉以南非洲地區(qū)和亞洲地區(qū)大約5億人的主食,。因此它在氣候變化的條件下滿足不斷增長的糧食需求方面至關重要,。在世界范圍內，它是一種重要的動物飼料來源,，同時也正在成為一種潛在有價值的生物燃料作物,。David Jordan及同事發(fā)表了44種高粱的高覆蓋率基因組序列，目的是尋找在高粱產量和其他農業(yè)經濟性狀上扮演一定角色的基因,。
作者通過分析野生高粱和栽培高粱之間的分化識別出與馴化和作物改良有關的725個候選基因,，報告了在農藝性狀上可能扮演一定角色的285個馴化基因。這項研究將使我們能夠在包括水稻、玉米和大豆在內的其他谷類作物之間進行遺傳比較,，并且還有可能幫助將高粱的適應性性狀引入到這些和其他谷類作物中,。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Nature Communications doi:10.1038/ncomms3320
Whole-genome sequencing reveals untapped genetic potential in Africa’s indigenous cereal crop sorghum
Emma S. Mace,1, 9 Shuaishuai Tai,2, 9 Edward K. Gilding,3 Yanhong Li,2 Peter J. Prentis,4 Lianle Bian,2 Bradley C. Campbell,3 Wushu Hu,2 David J. Innes,5 Xuelian Han,2 Alan Cruickshank,1 Changming Dai,2 Céline Frère,3 Haikuan Zhang,2 Colleen H. Hunt,1 Xianyuan Wang,2 Tracey Shatte,1 Miao Wang,2 Zhe Su,2 Jun Li,2 Xiaozhen Lin,2 Ian D. Godwin,3 David R. Jordan6 & Jun Wang2, 7, 8
Sorghum is a food and feed cereal crop adapted to heat and drought and a staple for 500 million of the world’s poorest people. Its small diploid genome and phenotypic diversity make it an ideal C4 grass model as a complement to C3 rice. Here we present high coverage (16–45 × ) resequenced genomes of 44 sorghum lines representing the primary gene pool and spanning dimensions of geographic origin, end-use and taxonomic group. We also report the first resequenced genome of S. propinquum, identifying 8 M high-quality SNPs, 1.9 M indels and specific gene loss and gain events in S. bicolor. We observe strong racial structure and a complex domestication history involving at least two distinct domestication events. These assembled genomes enable the leveraging of existing cereal functional genomics data against the novel diversity available in sorghum, providing an unmatched resource for the genetic improvement of sorghum and other grass species.
