Oats (avena sativa) grain are a traditional food rich in dietary fiber, contributing positively to human health. Recent years have seen a rise in interest in oats as they serve as the foundation for plant-based milk alternatives. Unlike many other cereal crops, oat genomic research is still in its early stages, with limited exploration into structural genomic diversity and gene expression variability. Scientists are currently focused on collecting and annotating the genome. An atlas of gene expression across six tissues at various developmental stages in 33 wild and domesticated oat strains is also being developed.
Oats rank as the seventh most cultivated grain globally, esteemed for their high fiber content and notable health benefits.
In 2022 and 2023, global production exceeded 25 million tons.
Advancements in genetically improved varieties hold the promise of enhanced productivity and sustainability in oat farming; however, much of this potential remains untapped, with the first oat reference sequences released only in recent years.
The complexity of the oat genome adds to the slow progress.
“Pangenomes encapsulate the complete genetic diversity of cultivated plants like oats and are essential for our understanding,” remarked lead author Raz Avni, Ph.D., from the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Research.
“They comprise genes common to all plants and those unique to specific species, providing a kind of roadmap.”
“The pantranscriptome reveals which genes are active across various tissues, such as leaves, roots, and seeds, and at different developmental stages. It serves as a gene expression atlas.”
“However, deciphering how genetic variations influence traits in individual plants poses a challenge, particularly in oats.”
“The oat genome’s complexity arises from its hexaploid nature, having six sets of chromosomes from three ancestral sources.”
During their study, the authors sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 33 oat lines, including cultivated varieties and related wild types.
They also constructed an oat pan transcriptome by scrutinizing gene expression in six tissues across various developmental stages in 23 of these oat lines.
The research aimed to identify structural changes, such as chromosome inversions and translocations.
“Our pangenome illustrates the extensive genetic diversity present in oats,” stated Dr. Avni.
“This insight aids in identifying key genes associated with yield, adaptation, and health.”
The researchers uncovered intriguing findings during their study.
“For instance, we observed the loss of many genes in one of the three subgenomes,” the team noted.
“Nevertheless, other gene copies seem to compensate for the functions, ensuring the plant’s productivity remains intact.”
“Sequencing the oat pangenome highlights how modern genomic methods can propel foundational research and directly influence health, agriculture, and breeding,” commented lead author Dr. Martin Mascher from Murdoch University’s Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Research.
“We also discovered that structural variations in the genome influence the regulation of flowering time.”
The team’s results are published in the journal Nature.
_____
R. Avni et al. Pangenome and pantranscriptome of hexaploid oat. Nature, published online October 29, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09676-7
Source: www.sci.news
