Einkorn genomics sheds light on history of the oldest domesticated wheat

Hanin Ahmed, Matthias Heuberger, Adam Schoen, Dal-Hoe Koo, Jesús Quiroz-Chávez, Laxman Adhikari, John Raupp, Stéphane Cauet, Nathalie Rodde, Charlotte Cravero, Caroline Callot, Gerard R. Lazo, Nagarajan Kathiresan, Parva K. Sharma, Ian Moot, Inderjit Singh Yadav, Lovepreet Singh, Gautam Saripalli, Nidhi Rawat, Raju DatlaNaveenkumar Athiyannan, Ricardo H. Ramirez-Gonzalez, Cristobal Uauy, Thomas Wicker, Vijay Tiwari, Michael Abrouk, Jesse Poland, Simon G. Krattinger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) was the first domesticated wheat species, and was central to the birth of agriculture and the Neolithic Revolution in the Fertile Crescent around 10,000 years ago1,2. Here we generate and analyse 5.2-Gb genome assemblies for wild and domesticated einkorn, including completely assembled centromeres. Einkorn centromeres are highly dynamic, showing evidence of ancient and recent centromere shifts caused by structural rearrangements. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of a diversity panel uncovered the population structure and evolutionary history of einkorn, revealing complex patterns of hybridizations and introgressions after the dispersal of domesticated einkorn from the Fertile Crescent. We also show that around 1% of the modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) A subgenome originates from einkorn. These resources and findings highlight the history of einkorn evolution and provide a basis to accelerate the genomics-assisted improvement of einkorn and bread wheat.
Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalNature
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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