Requirement of Whole-Genome Sequencing

Abstract

Crop plants that sustain modern civilizations, including common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), were domesticated and improved by thousands of years of human selection, which transformed wild ancestors into high-yielding domesticated descendants. Understanding how the genome of crop species has been shaped through time, with and without human intervention, is a fascinating field of research. In addition, defining the loci and associated polymorphisms behind the emergence of domestication and improvement traits in P. vulgaris is of major importance. Uncovering intra- and inter-species introgression events that could indicate transferred genes, which together with domestication protein-coding and non-coding genes that have given rise to domestication and adaptive traits are required for future improvement strategies. Such strategies, in our view, will depend to a significant extent on crop re-wilding, given the local adaptations undergone by their wild relatives and climate change. Essential tools for reaching these goals have recently been developed, such as the complete genome sequences (similar to 600 Mb) of a Mesoamerican and an Andean accession, as well as a large gene expression atlas. Further, there are significant re-sequencing efforts for both wild and domesticated genotypes, which will play a major role in the future of this crop. Altogether, this information will allow the genetic dissection of the characters involved in the domestication and adaptation of the crop and their further implementation in breeding strategies faced with an ever-expanding human population and unpredictable environmental challenges.