Genome assembly of the maize inbred line A188 provides a new reference genome for functional genomics
Fei Ge,
Jingtao Qu,
Peng Liu,
Lang Pan,
Chaoying Zou,
Guangsheng Yuan,
Cong Yang,
Guangtang Pan,
Jianwei Huang,
Langlang Ma,
Yaou Shen
Affiliations
Fei Ge
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Jingtao Qu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Peng Liu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Lang Pan
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Chaoying Zou
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Guangsheng Yuan
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Cong Yang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Guangtang Pan
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Jianwei Huang
Berry Genomics Corporation, Beijing 100015, China
Langlang Ma
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China; Corresponding authors.
Yaou Shen
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China; Corresponding authors.
The current assembled maize genomes cannot represent the broad genetic diversity of maize germplasms. Acquiring more genome sequences is critical for constructing a pan-genome and elucidating the linkage between genotype and phenotype in maize. Here we describe the genome sequence and annotation of A188, a maize inbred line with high phenotypic variation relative to other lines, acquired by single-molecule sequencing and optical genome mapping. We assembled a 2210-Mb genome with a scaffold N50 size of 11.61 million bases (Mb), compared to 9.73 Mb for B73 and 10.2 Mb for Mo17. Based on the B73_RefGen_V4 genome, 295 scaffolds (2084.35 Mb, 94.30% of the final genome assembly) were anchored and oriented on ten chromosomes. Comparative analysis revealed that ~30% of the predicted A188 genes showed large structural divergence from B73, Mo17, and W22 genomes, which causes high protein divergence and may lead to phenotypic variation among the four inbred lines. As a line with high embryonic callus (EC) induction capacity, A188 provides a convenient tool for elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the formation of EC in maize. Combining our new A188 genome with previously reported QTL and RNA sequencing data revealed eight genes with large structural variation and two differentially expressed genes playing potential roles in maize EC induction.
