Genome-wide characterization of two Aubrieta taxa: Aubrieta canescens subsp. canescens and A. macrostyla (Brassicaceae)

Abstract Aubrieta canescens complex is divided into two subspecies, Au. canescens subsp. canescens, Au. canescens subsp. cilicica and a distinct species, Au. macrostyla, based on molecular phylogeny. We generated a draft assembly of Au. canescens subsp. canescens and Au. macrostyla using paired-end shotgun sequencing. This is the first attempt at genome characterization for the genus. In the presented study, ~165 and ~157 Mbp of the genomes of Au. canescens subsp. canescens and Au. macrostyla were assembled respectively, and a total of 32,425 and 31,372 gene models were predicted in the genomes of the target taxa respectively. We corroborated the phylogenomic affinity of taxa with some core Brassicaceae species (Clades A and B) including Arabis alpina. The orthology-based tree suggested that Aubrieta species differentiated from Arabis alpina 1.3–2.0 mya (million years ago). The genome-wide syntenic comparison of two Aubrieta taxa revealed that Au canescens subsp. canescens (46%) and Au. macrostyla (45%) have an almost identical syntenic gene pair ratio. These novel genome assemblies are the first steps towards the chromosome-level assembly of Au. canescens and understanding the genome diversity within the genus.