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04 14, 2021;11 (1): 8119.

The absence of the caffeine synthase gene is involved in the naturally decaffeinated status of Coffea humblotiana, a wild species from Comoro archipelago.

Nathalie Raharimalala, Stephane Rombauts, Andrew McCarthy, Andréa Garavito, Simon Orozco-Arias, Laurence Bellanger, Alexa Yadira Morales-Correa, Solène Froger, Stéphane Michaux, Victoria Berry, Sylviane Metairon, Coralie Fournier, Maud Lepelley, Lukas Mueller, Emmanuel Couturon, Perla Hamon, Jean-Jacques Rakotomalala, Patrick Descombes, Romain Guyot, Dominique Crouzillat
Author Information
  1. Nathalie Raharimalala: Centre National de Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural, BP 1444, 101, Ambatobe, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
  2. Stephane Rombauts: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
  3. Andrew McCarthy: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
  4. Andréa Garavito: Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia.
  5. Simon Orozco-Arias: Department of Systems and Informatics, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia.
  6. Laurence Bellanger: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France.
  7. Alexa Yadira Morales-Correa: Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia.
  8. Solène Froger: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France.
  9. Stéphane Michaux: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France.
  10. Victoria Berry: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France.
  11. Sylviane Metairon: Nestle Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
  12. Coralie Fournier: Nestle Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
  13. Maud Lepelley: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France.
  14. Lukas Mueller: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
  15. Emmanuel Couturon: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR DIADE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
  16. Perla Hamon: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR DIADE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
  17. Jean-Jacques Rakotomalala: Centre National de Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural, BP 1444, 101, Ambatobe, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
  18. Patrick Descombes: Nestle Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
  19. Romain Guyot: Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, Manizales, Colombia. romain.guyot@ird.fr.
  20. Dominique Crouzillat: Nestle Research-Plant Science Research Unit, BP 49716, 37097, Tours Cedex 2, France. dominique.crouzillat@rdto.nestle.com.
PMID: 33854089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87419-0

Abstract

Caffeine is the most consumed alkaloid stimulant in the world. It is synthesized through the activity of three known N-methyltransferase proteins. Here we are reporting on the 422-Mb chromosome-level assembly of the Coffea humblotiana genome, a wild and endangered, naturally caffeine-free, species from the Comoro archipelago. We predicted 32,874 genes and anchored 88.7% of the sequence onto the 11 chromosomes. Comparative analyses with the African Robusta coffee genome (C. canephora) revealed an extensive genome conservation, despite an estimated 11 million years of divergence and a broad diversity of genome sizes within the Coffea genus. In this genome, the absence of caffeine is likely due to the absence of the caffeine synthase gene which converts theobromine into caffeine through an illegitimate recombination mechanism. These findings pave the way for further characterization of caffeine-free species in the Coffea genus and will guide research towards naturally-decaffeinated coffee drinks for consumers.

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MeSH Term

Amino Acid Sequence
Caffeine
Chromosomes, Plant
Coffea
Comoros
Comparative Genomic Hybridization
Evolution, Molecular
Methyltransferases
Phylogeny
Plant Leaves
Plant Proteins
Sequence Alignment
Sequence Analysis, RNA
Theobromine

Chemicals

Plant Proteins
Caffeine
Methyltransferases
caffeine synthase
Theobromine
Journal Article

Word Cloud

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