Plant T2T genome assembly using ultra-long and adaptive nanopore sequencing

Abstract

High-quality reference genomes serve as the foundation for plant functional genomics, genetics, and molecular breeding. The challenges in plant genome assembly primarily arise from high repeats and polyploid characteristics. With the aid of third-generation, long-read sequencing technologies — such as Oxford Nanopore Technologies — we have achieved gap-free and complete genome assemblies in plants, providing unprecedented opportunities to address genome completeness and accuracy. In this study, through third-generation, ultra-long DNA sequencing of different crop genomes, we obtained longer sequencing reads by optimizing DNA extraction, library construction, and adaptive sampling. This enabled us to fill gaps and telomeres in genome assembly, thereby enhancing the completeness and accuracy of the genome sequences. This is of significant importance for resolving the challenges associated with assembling and annotating crop genomes with polyploid structures and repetitive sequences.

Biography

Prof. Li is a researcher at the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences and serves as the director of the Single Cell Omics and Single Molecule Analysis Platform. His research primarily revolves around the cell regeneration of crops, the differentiation and development of organs linked to important agronomic traits. Prof. Li's group employs cutting-edge techniques, such as single-cell transcriptome sequencing, spatial transcriptome sequencing, and nanopore sequencing, to explore the stemness of crop cells, improve transgenic efficiency, and ultimately enhance various crop traits.