Low-cost assembly of a cacao crop genome is able to resolve complex heterozygous bubbles

Abstract

A sweet solution for studying cacao genetics Genomic insights from an efficient, low-cost DNA sequencing strategy could enable more sustainable cacao cultivation. Growing demand for chocolate is currently being satisfied by increasing land use. A richer understanding of this plant’s genome could enable development of more productive strains, and Juan Carlos Motamayor and colleagues at Mars Chocolate have demonstrated a method for rapidly collecting such data. Most sequencing platforms produce vast multitudes of short DNA sequences which must then be assembled into a final map—a particular challenge for cacao, whose genome contains complex repetitive regions that are tough to reconstruct. Using a newer platform known as MinION, which produces far longer sequence reads, Motamayor’s team assembled a detailed genome map for a widely-used cacao cultivar within months for under $5,000. This approach could facilitate genetic engineering efforts to improve crop performance.