The results have recently been published in Communications Biology
A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal led by Dr Vineet K. Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, have sequenced the genome of the turmeric plant for the first time in the world. The results have recently been published in a journal belonging to the prestigious Nature group – Communications Biology. The paper has been co-authored by Abhisek Chakraborty, Shruti Mahajan, Shubham K. Jaiswal and Dr Vineet K. Sharma of IISER Bhopal.
Dr Sharma said, “Being the first elucidation of the genetic makeup of turmeric, our study has provided hitherto unknown information about the plant. The IISER sequencing and analysis has also confirmed the triploid genetic makeup of turmeric. We have also elucidated the position of turmeric in the evolutionary pathway through our genomic sequencing.”
The researchers performed comparative evolutionary analysis across 17 plant species. The comparison showed the evolution of genes associated with secondary metabolism, plant phytohormones signaling, and various biotic and abiotic stress tolerance responses.
The researchers have used two techniques – the short-read sequencing of 10x Genomics (Chromium) and long-read Oxford Nanopore sequencing – to unravel the genetic makeup of turmeric. The draft genome assembly had a size of 1.02 Gbp with ~70 per cent repetitive sequences and contained 50,401 coding gene sequences.
The researchers have, for the first time, revealed the genetic structures associated with major enzymes involved in the production of curcuminoids, the key medicinal compounds present in turmeric. They have also shown the evolutionary origin of these enzymes.