August 2010

Agnes P Chan, Jonathan Crabtree, Qi Zhao, Hernan Lorenzi, Joshua Orvis, Daniela Puiu, Admasu Melake-Berhan, Kristine M Jones, Julia Redman, Grace Chen, Edgar B Cahoon, Melaku Gedil, Mario Stanke, Brian J Haas, Jennifer R Wortman, Claire M Fraser-Liggett, Jacques Ravel & Pablo D Rabinowicz

Nature Biotechnology 28 , 951–956 (2010)  |  doi:10.1038/nbt.1674
Received 30 June 2010 Accepted 02 August 2010 Published online 22 August 2010

Abstract

Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is an oilseed crop that belongs to the spurge (Euphorbiaceae) family, which comprises ~6,300 species that include cassava (Manihot esculenta), rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and physic nut (Jatropha curcas). It is primarily of economic interest as a source of castor oil, used for the production of high-quality lubricants because of its high proportion of the unusual fatty acid ricinoleic acid. However, castor bean genomics is also relevant to biosecurity as the seeds contain high levels of ricin, a highly toxic, ribosome-inactivating protein. Here we report the draft genome sequence of castor bean (4.6-fold coverage), the first for a member of the Euphorbiaceae. Whereas most of the key genes involved in oil synthesis and turnover are single copy, the number of members of the ricin gene family is larger than previously thought. Comparative genomics analysis suggests the presence of an ancient hexaploidization event that is conserved across the dicotyledonous lineage.

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Published: September 15, 2010