Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025

A Workflow for the Quantitative Assessment of the Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacterial Microbiomes of the Bark of Populus trichocarpa
Published on: June 27, 2025
Genome structure and evolutionary history of frankincense producing Boswellia sacra
Abdul Latif Khan1, Ahmed Al-Harrasi2, Jin-Peng Wang3
1Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology, University of Houston, Sugar Land, TX, 77479, USA.
Abstract:
Boswellia sacra Flueck (family Burseraceae) tree is wounded to produce frankincense. We report its de novo assembled genome (667.8 Mb) comprising 18,564 high-confidence protein-encoding genes. Comparing conserved single-copy genes across eudicots suggest >97% gene space assembly of B. sacra genome. Evolutionary history shows B. sacra gene-duplications derived from recent paralogous events and retained from ancient hexaploidy shared with other eudicots. The genome indicated a major expansion of Gypsy retroelements in last 2 million years. The B. sacra genetic diversity showed four clades intermixed with a primary genotype-dominating most resin-productive trees. Further, the stem transcriptome revealed that wounding concurrently activates phytohormones signaling, cell wall fortification, and resin terpenoid biosynthesis pathways leading to the synthesis of boswellic acid-a key chemotaxonomic marker of Boswellia. The sequence datasets reported here will serve as a foundation to investigate the genetic determinants of frankincense and other resin-producing species in Burseraceae.
Related Concept Videos
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
Prokaryotic Gene Structure and Organization
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA...
Structure of Benzene: Kekulé Model
He proposed that benzene has a cyclic structure of six carbon atoms attached to one hydrogen atom each, with three alternating pi bonds.
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...

