A draft genome and transcriptome of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as resources for evolutionary, ecological, and molecular studies in milkweeds and Apocynaceae
Weitemier K, Straub SCK, Fishbein M and others. PeerJ, September 2019.
Read the paper Free to read · doi:10.7717/peerj.7649
What this paper is about
A draft nuclear genome and transcriptome for common milkweed, sequenced to 80-fold depth, with linkage group information added to the existing chloroplast and mitochondrial sequences.
It is the reference other milkweed work builds on, covering floral development, pollination, plant-insect interactions and the chemistry of the cardenolides.
Summarised here from the abstract below. Not the authors’ words.
Abstract
Milkweeds (Asclepias) are used in wide-ranging studies including floral development, pollination biology, plant-insect interactions and co-evolution, secondary metabolite chemistry, and rapid diversification. We present a transcriptome and draft nuclear genome assembly of the common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. This reconstruction of the nuclear genome is augmented by linkage group information, adding to existing chloroplast and mitochondrial genomic resources for this member of the Apocynaceae subfamily Asclepiadoideae. The genome was sequenced to 80.4× depth and the draft assembly contains 54,266 scaffolds ≥1 kbp, with N50 = 3,415 bp, representing 37% (156.6 Mbp) of the estimated 420 Mbp genome. A total of 14,474 protein-coding genes were identified based on transcript evidence, closely related proteins, and ab initio models, and 95% of genes were annotated. A large proportion of gene space is represented in the assembly, with 96.7% of Asclepias transcripts, 88.4% of transcripts from the related genus Calotropis, and 90.6% of proteins from Coffea mapping to the assembly. Scaffolds covering 75 Mbp of the Asclepias assembly formed 11 linkage groups. Comparisons of these groups with pseudochromosomes in Coffea found that six chromosomes show consistent stability in gene content, while one may have a long history of fragmentation and rearrangement. The progesterone 5β-reductase gene family, a key component of cardenolide production, is likely reduced in Asclepias relative to other Apocynaceae. The genome and transcriptome of common milkweed provide a rich resource for future studies of the ecology and evolution of a charismatic plant family.
Abstract reproduced from the published paper, which is licensed CC0. Copyright remains with the authors.
Key terms
Milkweeds in this paper
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
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"A draft genome and transcriptome of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as resources for evolutionary, ecological, and molecular studies in milkweeds and Apocynaceae (listing)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/research/a-draft-genome-and-transcriptome-of-common-milkweed-asclepias-2019/. Accessed DATE.
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@misc{milkweedusa_researchadraftgenomeandtrans,
title = {A draft genome and transcriptome of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as resources for evolutionary, ecological, and molecular studies in milkweeds and Apocynaceae (listing)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/research/a-draft-genome-and-transcriptome-of-common-milkweed-asclepias-2019/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}