Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

TLDR

Wheat is a major global food crop, but its large, hybrid genome of three subgenomes has made generating a high‑quality reference sequence challenging. The consortium used recent sequencing advances to produce an annotated reference genome, detailing gene content across subgenomes and chromosome structure. They exploited this genome to identify tissue‑specific biased gene expression and coexpression networks during development and stress exposure. The annotated genome enables quantitative trait mapping, CRISPR‑based editing, and identification of expression networks, accelerating insight into bread wheat genetics. See Ramírez‑González et al.

Abstract

Insights from the annotated wheat genome Wheat is one of the major sources of food for much of the world. However, because bread wheat's genome is a large hybrid mix of three separate subgenomes, it has been difficult to produce a high-quality reference sequence. Using recent advances in sequencing, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium presents an annotated reference genome with a detailed analysis of gene content among subgenomes and the structural organization for all the chromosomes. Examples of quantitative trait mapping and CRISPR-based genome modification show the potential for using this genome in agricultural research and breeding. Ramírez-González et al. exploited the fruits of this endeavor to identify tissue-specific biased gene expression and coexpression networks during development and exposure to stress. These resources will accelerate our understanding of the genetic basis of bread wheat. Science , this issue p. eaar7191 ; see also p. eaar6089