First chromosome scale genome of Acrocomia aculeata

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Authors: Matheus Scaketti, Caroline Bertocco Garcia, João Victor da Silva Rabelo Araujo, Igor Araújo Santos de Carvalho, Thiago Deomar Ludwig, Kauanne Karolline Moreno Martins, Diego Mauricio Riaño‐Pachón, Durval Dourado Neto, Carlos Alberto Labate, Renato Vicentini, José Baldin Pinheiro, Suelen Alves Vianna
+4 more Carlos Augusto Colombo, Brenda Díaz, Jonathan Andre Morales Marroquín, Maria Imaculada Zucchi
Cited by: 1
References: 91

Abstract

Acrocomia aculeata (macaúba) is an oil-producing palm with high potential for sustainable bioenergy in tropical regions. We present the first chromosome-scale, haplotype-resolved genome assembly for the species and the genus, generated with Oxford Nanopore, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C sequencing. The assembly spans 1.94 Gbp organized into 15 pseudochromosomes (N50 = 143.43 Mbp; QV = 76.4), with two fully phased haplotypes (Hap1: 1.93 Gbp; Hap2: 1.92 Gbp) resolved at chromosome scale. Genome completeness reached 98.9% complete BUSCOs for predicted proteins and > 90% k-mer completeness. Repetitive elements comprise 73-77% of the genome, with LTR retrotransposons accounting for ~55%. The LTR Assembly Index (LAI = 25.11) confirms gold-standard quality, sustained across both haplotypes. Annotation predicted 28,367 protein-coding genes with structural consistency across haplotypes and similarity to other palm genomes. Comparative analyses revealed strong chromosomal collinearity with closely related species. This reference genome supports evolutionary genomics, conservation, and molecular breeding of macaúba.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Plant tissue culture and regeneration

Publication details

Journal / source
Scientific Data
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
13
Issue
1
Publication date
24 August 2026
Language
EN