The Chinese Chestnut Genome: A Reference for Species Restoration
The American chestnut (C. dentata) is one of the most well-known and studied examples of near total mortality of a forest tree across its native range due to exotic diseases. It is one of the few species with large-scale genomics-enabled breeding programs, which rely on introgression of resistance genes from Asian chestnut species. To support the efforts to restore American chestnut, we assembled a chromosome-scale reference genome from the Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) cultivar ‘Vanuxem’. Comparative genomics with peach (Prunus persica) and oak (Quercus robur) reveal largely conserved genome organization, including across key quantitative trait loci (QTLs), but also significant expansion and contraction of particular gene families. Resequencing of 5 C. dentata and 5 C. mollissima genotypes enabled analysis of signatures of selection, providing insights into the evolution of resistance to chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) and new candidate resistance genes. With this genomic resource as well as additional upcoming resources, chestnut is becoming a promising platform for forest tree genotype-to-phenotype research and for leveraging genomics in species restoration.
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Author(s): Margaret E Staton, Charles Addo-Quaye, Nathaniel Cannon, Tetyana Zhebentyayeva, Matthew Huff, Shenghua Fan, Emily Bellis, Nurul Islam-Faridi, Jiali Yu, Nathan Henry, Daniela I. Drautz-Moses, Rooksana E. Noorai, Stephen Ficklin, Chris Saski, Mihir Manda, Tyler K Wagner, Nicole Zembower, Catherine Bodénès, Jason Holliday, Jared Westbrook, Jesse Lasky, Laura L Georgi, Frederick V Hebard, C. Dana Nelson, Stephan C Schuster, Albert G Abbott, John E Carlson
Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 2019
