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Chromosome-level reference genome of the Soursop (Annona muricata), a new resource for Magnoliid research and tropical pomology
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  • Joeri Strijk,
  • Damien Hinsinger,
  • Mareike Roeder,
  • Lars Chatrou,
  • Thomas Couvreur,
  • Roy Erkens,
  • Hervé Sauquet,
  • Michael Pirie,
  • Daniel Thomas,
  • Kunfang Cao
Joeri Strijk
Guangxi University

Corresponding Author:jsstrijk@hotmail.com

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Damien Hinsinger
, Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics, Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden
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Mareike Roeder
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Lars Chatrou
Ghent University
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Thomas Couvreur
Institut de recherche pour le développement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
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Roy Erkens
Maastricht University
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Hervé Sauquet
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
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Michael Pirie
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
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Daniel Thomas
Singapore Botanic Gardens
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Kunfang Cao
Guangxi University
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Abstract

Annonaceae contain important commercially grown tropical crops, but development of other promising species is hindered by a lack of genomic resources to build breeding programs. In addition, Annonaceae are part of the Magnoliids, an ancient lineage of angiosperms for which evolutionary relationships with other major clades have remained unclear. To provide resources to both breeders and evolutionary researchers, we report the chromosome-level genome assembly of the soursop (Annona muricata). We assembled the soursop genome using a total of 444.32 Gb of DNA sequences that were generated using PacBio and Illumina short-reads, in combination with 10XGenomics, Bionano data and Hi-C sequencing. 949 scaffolds were assembled to a final size of 656.77Mb, with a scaffold N50 of 3.43 Mb. Repeat sequences accounted for 54.87% of the genome, and 23,375 protein-coding genes with an average of 4.79 exons per gene were annotated using de novo, RNA-seq and homology-based approaches. Reconstruction of the historical population size of A. muricata showed a slow but regular contraction of the population, likely related to Cenozoic climate changes. The soursop is the first genome assembled in Annonaceae, supporting further studies of floral evolution in Magnoliids, and providing an essential resource for delineating relationships of major lineages at the base of the angiosperms. Both genome-assisted improvement and conservation efforts will be strengthened by the availability of the soursop genome. The genome assembly as a community resource will further strengthen the role of Annonaceae as model species for research on the ecology, evolution and domestication potential of tropical species in pomology and agroforestry.
11 Feb 2021Published in Molecular Ecology Resources. 10.1111/1755-0998.13353