Four near-complete genome assemblies reveal the landscape and evolution of centromeres in Salicaceae.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Centromeres play a crucial role in maintaining genomic stability during cell division. They are typically composed of large arrays of tandem satellite repeats, which hinder high-quality assembly and complicate our efforts to understand their evolution across species. Here, we use long-read sequencing to generate near-complete genome assemblies for two Populus and two Salix species belonging to the Salicaceae family and characterize the genetic and epigenetic landscapes of their centromeres.

Results

The results show that only limited satellite repeats are present as centromeric components in these species, while most of them are located outside the centromere but exhibit a homogenized structure similar to that of the Arabidopsis centromeres. Instead, the Salicaceae

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12046899 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature