Xudong He: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China. ORCID
Yu Wang: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China.
Jiwei Zheng: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China. ORCID
Jie Zhou: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China. ORCID
Zhongyi Jiao: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China. ORCID
Weiwei Wang: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China.
Jun Zhang: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China.
Baosong Wang: Willow Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China.
Qiang Zhuge: College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. ORCID
BACKGROUND: As a fast-growing tree species, Chosenia arbutifolia has a unique but controversial taxonomic status in the family Salicaceae. Despite its importance as an industrial material, in ecological protection, and in landscaping, C. arbutifolia is seriously endangered in Northeast China because of artificial destruction and its low reproductive capability. RESULTS: To clarify its phylogenetic relationships with other Salicaceae species, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome of C. arbutifolia using PacBio High-Fidelity reads and Hi-C sequencing data, with a total size of 338.93 Mb and contig N50 of 1.68 Mb. Repetitive sequences, which accounted for 42.34% of the assembly length, were identified. In total, 33,229 protein-coding genes and 11,474 small noncoding RNAs were predicted. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. arbutifolia and poplars diverged approximately 15.3 million years ago, and a large interchromosomal recombination between C. arbutifolia and other Salicaceae species was discovered. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides insights into the genome architecture and systematic evolution of C. arbutifolia, as well as comprehensive information for germplasm protection and future functional genomic studies.
