Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a popular fruit and medicinal plant. Here, a high-quality draft genome of the E. japonica ‘Big Five-pointed Star’ cultivar that covers ~98% (733.32 Mb) of the estimated genome size (749.25 Mb) and contains a total of 45,492 protein-coding genes is reported. Comparative genomic analysis suggests that the loquat genome has evolved a unique genetic mechanism of chromosome repair. Resequencing data from 52 loquat cultivars, including 16 white-fleshed and 36 yellow-fleshed variants, were analyzed, and the flower, leaf, and root metabolomes of ‘Big Five-pointed Star’ were determined using a UPLC-ESI-MS/M system. A genome-wide association study identified several candidate genes associated with flesh color in E. japonica, linking these phenotypes to sugar metabolism. A total of 577 metabolites, including 98 phenolic acids, 95 flavonoids, and 28 terpenoids, were found, and 191 metabolites, including 46 phenolic acids, 33 flavonoids, and 7 terpenoids, showed no differences in concentration among the leaves, roots, and flowers. Candidate genes related to the biosynthesis of various medicinal ingredients, such as phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, and polysaccharides, were identified. Some of these genes were confirmed to be members of expanding gene families, suggesting that the high concentrations of beneficial metabolites in loquat may be associated with the number of biosynthetic genes in this plant. In summary, this study provides fundamental molecular insights into the nutritional and medical properties of E. japonica.

中文翻译：

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基因组草案、重测序和代谢组揭示了枇杷 (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl) 营养和药用特性的遗传背景和分子基础


枇杷（Eriobotrya japonica）是一种受欢迎的水果和药用植物。这里，E. japonica“大五角星”品种的高质量基因组草图覆盖了估计基因组大小 (749.25 Mb) 的约 98% (733.32 Mb)，并且总共包含 45,492 个蛋白质编码基因报道称。比较基因组分析表明，枇杷基因组已经进化出独特的染色体修复遗传机制。对 52 个枇杷品种（包括 16 个白肉变种和 36 个黄肉变种）的重测序数据进行了分析，并使用 UPLC-ESI-MS/M 测定了“大五角星”的花、叶和根代谢组。系统。一项全基因组关联研究确定了几个与粳稻肉色相关的候选基因，将这些表型与糖代谢联系起来。共发现577种代谢物，其中酚酸98种、黄酮类95种、萜类28种，其中叶、根、花中浓度无差异的191种代谢物，其中酚酸46种、黄酮类33种、萜类7种。 。鉴定了与各种药用成分（如酚类、黄酮类、萜类和多糖）生物合成相关的候选基因。其中一些基因被证实是扩展基因家族的成员，这表明枇杷中高浓度的有益代谢物可能与该植物中生物合成基因的数量有关。总之，这项研究为 E. japonica 的营养和医学特性提供了基本的分子见解。