First draft genome assembly of the Argane tree (Argania spinosa)
Khayi, Slimane; Azza, Nour Elhouda; Gaboun, Fatima; Pirro, St acy; Badad, Oussama; Claros, M. Gonzalo; Lightfoot, David A.; Unver, Turgay; Chaouni, Bouchra; Merrouch, Redouane; Rahim, Bouchra; Essayeh, Soumaya; Ganoudi, Matika; Abdelwahd, Rabha; Diria, Ghizlane; Mdarhi, Meriem Alaoui; Labhilili, Mustapha; Mouhaddab, Jamila; Sedrati, Hayat; Memari, Majid; Hamamouch, Noureddine; Hamamouch, Noureddine; De Dios Alche, Juan; Boukhatem, Noureddine; Mrabet, Rachid; Dahan, Rachid; Legssyer, Adelkhaleq; Khalfaoui, Mohamed; Badraoui, Mohamed; Van de Peer, Yves; Tatusova, Tatiana; El Mousadik, Abdelhamid; Mentag, Rachid; Ghazal, Hassan
Date:
2018-08-17
Abstract:
BACKGROUND : The Argane tree (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) is an endemic
tree of southwestern Morocco that plays an important socioeconomic and
ecologic role for a dense human population in an arid zone. Several studies
confirmed the importance of this species as a food and feed source and as
a resource for both pharmaceutical and cosmetic compounds.
Unfortunately, the argane tree ecosystem is facing significant threats from
environmental changes (global warming, over-population) and
over-exploitation. Limited research has been conducted, however, on
argane tree genetics and genomics, which hinders its conservation and
genetic improvement.
METHODS : Here, we present a draft genome assembly of A. spinosa. A
reliable reference genome of A. spinosa was created using a hybrid de
novo assembly approach combining short and long sequencing reads.
RESULTS : In total, 144 Gb Illumina HiSeq reads and 7.2 Gb PacBio reads
were produced and assembled. The final draft genome comprises 75 327
scaffolds totaling 671 Mb with an N50 of 49 916 kb. The draft assembly is
close to the genome size estimated by k-mers distribution and covers 89%
of complete and 4.3 % of partial Arabidopsis orthologous groups in
BUSCO.
CONCLUSION : The A. spinosa genome will be useful for assessing
biodiversity leading to efficient conservation of this endangered endemic
tree. Furthermore, the genome may enable genome-assisted cultivar
breeding, and provide a better understanding of important metabolic
pathways and their underlying genes for both cosmetic and
pharmacological purposes.