The chromosome-scale genome assembly of Jasminum sambac var. unifoliatum provides insights into the formation of floral fragrance

Jasmine [Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait.], a tropical and subtropical plant emits a sweet, heady fragrance during flower opening. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain largely unknown. In the present study, integrated Illumina sequencing, Pacbio sequencing, and high-throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) scaffolding was used to generate a 495.60 Mb genome assembly of J. sambac var. unifoliatum cultivar ‘Fuzhou Single-petal’ (JSU-FSP), with contig N50 of 16.88 Mb; 96.23% of the assembly was assigned to 13 pseudochromosomes. The genome harbors 30 989 protein-coding genes, and 49.47% of the assembled sequences are repetitive sequences. The analysis of duplication modes showed that 51% of genes were duplicated through dispersed duplication, and expanded gene families are mainly involved in photosynthesis, which may be responsible for the light-loving characteristic specific to jasmine. Transcriptome analysis revealed that at least 35 structural genes involved in the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes (VTs), volatile phenylpropanoid/benzenoids (VPBs), fatty acid-derived volatiles (FADVs), and indole were highly expressed in the flower-opening stage, both preharvest and postharvest, and are proposed to be important in endowing flower aroma. Additionally, at least 28 heat shock protein (HSP) and 11 β-glucosidase (BGLU) genes may be involved in the formation of floral fragrance. These findings provide insights into the formation of the floral fragrance of jasmine and will promote germplasm utilization for breeding improved jasmine varieties.