The starchy swollen roots of cassava provide an essential food source for nearly a billion people, as well as possibilities for bioenergy, yet improvements to nutritional content and resistance to threatening diseases are currently impeded. A 454-based whole genome shotgun sequence has been assembled, which covers 69% of the predicted genome size and 96% of protein-coding gene space, with genome finishing underway. The predicted 30,666 genes and 3,485 alternate splice forms are supported by 1.4 M expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Maps based on simple sequence repeat (SSR)-, and EST-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) already exist. Thanks to the genome sequence, a high-density linkage map is currently being developed from a cross between two diverse cassava cultivars: one susceptible to cassava brown streak disease; the other resistant. An efficient genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach is being developed to catalog SNPs both within the mapping population and among diverse African farmer-preferred varieties of cassava. These resources will accelerate marker-assisted breeding programs, allowing improvements in disease-resistance and nutrition, and will help us understand the genetic basis for disease resistance.

中文翻译：

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木薯基因组：当前进展，未来方向。

木薯淀粉质肿胀的根部为近 10 亿人提供了必不可少的食物来源，并提供了生物能源的可能性，但目前对营养成分和对威胁疾病的抵抗力的改善受到阻碍。已经组装了基于 454 的全基因组鸟枪序列，其覆盖了 69% 的预测基因组大小和 96% 的蛋白质编码基因空间，基因组正在进行中。1.4 M 表达序列标签 (EST) 支持预测的 30,666 个基因和 3,485 个可变剪接形式。基于简单序列重复 (SSR) 和 EST 衍生的单核苷酸多态性 (SNP) 的图谱已经存在。由于基因组序列，目前正在从两个不同木薯品种之间的杂交中开发出高密度连锁图：一个易患木薯褐条病；另一个抗性。正在开发一种有效的基因分型测序 (GBS) 方法，以对绘图种群内和非洲农民偏爱的各种木薯品种之间的 SNP 进行编目。这些资源将加速标记辅助育种计划，改善抗病性和营养，并将帮助我们了解抗病性的遗传基础。