# Unveiling the Genome of the Diploid Wild Sugarcane Relative Narenga porphyrocoma (Hance) Bor

## TL;DR

This study presents the first genome assembly of the diploid wild sugarcane relative Narenga porphyrocoma, highlighting drought resistance traits and gene families for future sugarcane improvement.

## Contribution

The first high-quality genome assembly of the diploid wild sugarcane relative Narenga porphyrocoma, with insights into drought resistance genes.

## Key findings

- The genome was assembled into 15 pseudochromosomes with 99.0% completeness and an N50 of 128.80 Mb.
- Repetitive sequences, especially LTRs, make up 69.12% of the genome.
- 70,680 protein-coding genes were identified, with a focus on drought resistance-related genes.

## Abstract

Narenga porphyrocoma (Hance) Bor is a close relative of sugarcane, with traits such as drought resistance, robustness, early maturity, and disease resistance. In this study, we report the first genome assembly of N. porphyrocoma (Hance) Bor GXN1, a diploid species with a chromosomal count of 2n = 30. We assembled the genome into 15 pseudochromosomes with an N50 of 128.80 Mp, achieving a high level of completeness (99.0%) using benchmarking universal single-copy orthologs (BUSCO) assessment. The genome was approximately 1.8 Gb. Our analysis identified a substantial proportion of repetitive sequences, primarily long terminal repeats (LTRs), contributing to 69.12% of the genome. In total, 70,680 protein-coding genes were predicted and annotated, focusing on genes related to drought resistance. Transcriptome analysis under drought stress revealed the key gene families involved in plant physiological rhythms and hormone signal transduction, including aquaporins, late embryogenesis abundant proteins, and heat shock proteins. This research reveals the genome of the diploid wild sugarcane relative N. porphyrocoma (Hance) Bor, encouraging future studies on gene function, genome evolution, and genetic improvement of sugarcane.