The Sapria himalayana genome provides new insights into the lifestyle of endoparasitic plants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sapria himalayana (Rafflesiaceae) is an endoparasitic plant characterized by a greatly reduced vegetative body and giant flowers; however, the mechanisms underlying its special lifestyle and greatly altered plant form remain unknown. To illustrate the evolution and adaptation of S. himalayasna, we report its de novo assembled genome and key insights into the molecular basis of its floral development, flowering time, fatty acid biosynthesis, and defense responses.

Results

The genome of S. himalayana is ~ 1.92 Gb with 13,670 protein-coding genes, indicating remarkable gene loss (~ 54%), especially genes involved in photosynthesis, plant body, nutrients, and defense response. Genes specifying floral organ identity and controlling organ size were identified in S. hima

SUBMITTER: Guo X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10246380 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature