Comparative genomics points to tandem duplications of SAD gene clusters as drivers of increased α-linolenic (ω-3) content in S. hispanica seeds.

Salvia hispanica L. (chia) is a source of abundant ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3-PUFAs) that are highly beneficial to human health. The genomic basis for this accrued ω-3-PUFA content in this emerging crop was investigated through the assembly and comparative analysis of a chromosome-level reference genome for S.

Compare_Genomes: A Comparative Genomics Workflow to Streamline the Analysis of Evolutionary Divergence Across Eukaryotic Genomes.

The dawn of cost-effective genome assembly is enabling deep comparative genomics to address fundamental evolutionary questions by comparing the genomes of multiple species. However, comparative genomics analyses frequently deploy multiple, often purpose-built frameworks, limiting their transferability and replicability. Here, we present compare_genomes, a transferable and extensible comparative genomics workflow package we developed that streamlines the identification of orthologous families within and across eukaryotic genomes and tests for the presence of several mechanisms of evolution (gene family expansion or contraction and substitution rates within protein-coding sequences).

The changes in the release level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 and ω-6) and lipids in the untreated and water-soaked chia seed.

Despite recent studies on health benefits of chia seed owing to its high content of ω-3 fatty acids, little work has been conducted on extractability of its nutrients. We examined the effect of soaking chia seed in water on the extractability of its omega fatty acids and lipids. State-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques including GC-MS, LC-MS, and MALDI-MSI were utilized to identify and determine the spatial distribution of omega fatty acids and lipids in chia seed.