Genome assemblies of climatically distinct Aegilops mutica reveal extensive structural variation
Bread wheat harbours low genetic diversity due to bottlenecks during speciation, domestication, and selection; wild relatives therefore provide critical reservoir for climate-resilient breeding. Aegilops mutica, one of the few self-incompatible diploids in the Aegilops-Triticum species complex, is a putative parent in the homoploid hybridisation event that formed the D-genome clade and is a…
Bread wheat's genetic diversity is limited due to historical pressures, but wild relatives offer valuable traits for resilient breeding. Aegilops mutica, a self-incompatible diploid in the Aegilops-Triticum complex, contributes disease resistance, winter hardiness, and zinc to wheat. However, the species is endangered, with limited genomic resources.
Researchers have now created genome assemblies from two Ae. mutica samples, one from western Turkey and another from Armenia, utilizing HiFi sequencing. These assemblies captured nearly 93% of complete BUSCOs and comprised 81% repetitive sequences, particularly LTR retrotransposons. Comparisons to a reference genome revealed 145,871-155,535 structural variants per haplotype, including a significant 8.4 Mb inversion on chromosome 6T.
Notably, these structural variants segregated within individuals between haplotypes, and domestication-linked loci did not overlap with large structural variants. These new resources will facilitate targeted introgression of Ae. mutica traits into wheat and aid conservation efforts, particularly for populations in the South Caucasus that have experienced significant declines.
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