近日，福建省农业科学院教授陈常颂及其研究团队通过对1325份茶树材料的基因组分析为茶树改良的农艺和代谢性状提供了依据。相关论文发表在2025年3月17日出版的《自然—遗传学》杂志上。

在此，研究组对全球802种茶树及其相关品种进行了深度测序。通过整合公开的山茶花材料，构建了全面的全基因组遗传变异图谱，并对1325份山茶花材料的缺失突变进行了注释。群体遗传分析提供了与亲缘种的遗传分化、不同进化瓶颈、种间渐近和野生亲缘种的保护等方面的见解。

他们的研究结果表明，中国西南地区是茶树的发源地，揭示了古代茶树的遗传多样性和驯化状况。本文的全基因组关联研究确定了与叶片形状和代谢物性状存在实质性关联的需求，确定了关键农艺性状和风味性状的候选基因。本研究阐明了茶树的进化过程，为茶树的设计育种提供参考。

据了解，茶树是全球珍爱的无酒精饮料作物，但重要的农艺和代谢组学特征的遗传基础在很大程度上仍未被探索。

附：英文原文

Title: Genomic analysis of 1,325 Camellia accessions sheds light on agronomic and metabolic traits for tea plant improvement

Author: Kong, Weilong, Kong, Xiangrui, Xia, Zhongqiang, Li, Xiaofeng, Wang, Fang, Shan, Ruiyang, Chen, Zhihui, You, Xiaomei, Zhao, Yuanyan, Hu, Yanping, Zheng, Shiqin, Zhong, Sitong, Zhang, Shengcheng, Zhang, Yanbing, Fang, Kaixing, Wang, Yinghao, Liu, Hui, Zhang, Yazhen, Li, Xinlei, Wu, Hualing, Chen, Guo-Bo, Zhang, Xingtan, Chen, Changsong

Issue&Volume: 2025-03-17

Abstract: The tea plant stands as a globally cherished nonalcoholic beverage crop, but the genetic underpinnings of important agronomic and metabolomic traits remain largely unexplored. Here we de novo deep resequenced 802 tea plants and their relative accessions globally. By integrating public Camellia accessions, we constructed a comprehensive genome-wide genetic variation map and annotated deleterious mutations for 1,325 accessions. Population genetic analyses provided insights into genetic divergence from its relatives, different evolutionary bottlenecks, interspecific introgression and conservation of wild relatives. Our findings suggest the pivotal role of southwest China as the origin of tea plants, revealing the genetic diversity and domestication status of ancient tea plants. Genome-wide association studies herein identified thousands of substantial associations with leaf shape and metabolite traits, pinpointing candidate genes for crucial agronomic and flavor traits. This study illuminates the tea plant’s evolution and provides references for tea plant design breeding.

DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02135-z

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02135-z