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Article|03 Mar 2025|OPEN
Construction of the super pan-genome for the genus Actinidia reveals structural variations linked to phenotypic diversity
Haolin Wu1,2,6 , Wenjie Yang1,6 and Guanyong Dong3 , Quanjun Hu1 , , Dawei Li4 , , Jianquan Liu,1,5 ,
1Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu, 610065, China
2Department of Urology, Urologic Surgery Center, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 184 Xinqiao Street, Chongqing, 400037, China
3Technology Innovation Service Center, No.110 Jiangnan Road, Cangxi, 628400, China
4Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 Lumo Road, Wuhan, 430074, China
5State Key Laboratory of Grassland AgroEcosystem, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, No.222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China
6These authors contributed equally: Haolin Wu and Wenjie Yang
*Corresponding author. E-mail: huquanjun@scu.edu.cn,lidawei@wbgcas.cn,liujq@nwipb.ac.cn

Horticulture Research 12,
Article number: uhaf067 (2025)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhaf067
Views: 1326

Received: 11 Nov 2024
Accepted: 23 Feb 2025
Published online: 03 Mar 2025

Abstract

Kiwifruits, belonging to the genus Actinidia, are acknowledged as one of the most successfully domesticated fruits in the twentieth century. Despite the rich wild resources and diverse phenotypes within this genus, insights into the genomic changes are still limited. Here, we conducted whole-genome sequencing on seven representative materials from highly diversified sections of Actinidia, leading to the assembly and annotation of 14 haplotype genomes with sizes spanning from 602.0 to 699.6 Mb. By compiling these haplotype genomes, we constructed a super pan-genome for the genus. We identified numerous structural variations (SVs, including variations in gene copy number) and highly diverged regions in these genomes. Notably, significant SV variability was observed within the intronic regions of the MED25 and TTG1 genes across different materials, suggesting their potential roles in influencing fruit size and trichome formation. Intriguingly, our findings indicated a high genetic divergence between two haplotype genomes, with one individual, tentatively named Actinidia × leiocacarpae, from sect. Leiocacarpae. This likely hybrid with a heterozygous genome exhibited notable genetic adaptations related to resistance against bacterial canker, particularly through the upregulation of the RPM1 gene, which contains a specific SV, after infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. In addition, we also discussed the interlineage hybridizations and taxonomic treatments of the genus Actinidia. Overall, the comprehensive pan-genome constructed here, along with our findings, lays a foundation for examining genetic compositions and markers, particularly those related to SVs, to facilitate hybrid breeding aimed at developing desired phenotypes in kiwifruits.