From chromosome-scale assembly to the mappable genome of rubber dandelion: chromosome reorganization, rubber-pathway coordination, and domestication traits

OSU TarKok 3.0 delivers a 1.19-Gb chromosome-scale reference for rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), with contig N50 increasing from 1.3 to 37.8 Mb.

• Why it matters: Breeding genomics has lagged behind rubber-pathway biology because the repeat-rich genome has hindered chromosome-level resources for this temperate rubber candidate.
• What they did: The team assembled OSU TarKok 3.0 with eight chromosome-scale scaffolds containing 98% of sequence, defined a mappable genome of ~210 Mb (18% of the assembly), and mapped traits in an independent F2 family of 83 plants.
• The result: Rubber-related gene families were not uniquely enlarged across nine Cichorieae genomes; instead, specific rubber-pathway genes were enriched in underground tissues and co-expressed in a latex-associated module, and chromosome 1 loci were linked to filled-seed production under restricted cross-pollination.