First genome and transcription factor profile for Asimina triloba, a native North American fruit tree

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the only fruit-producing tree of the soursop (custard apple) family Annonaceae that is native to temperate North America. Pawpaws are extensively cultivated in the northeast United States, but to date, there are few genetic resources and no publicly available genome assemblies. Here, we present the first high-quality genome assembly and annotation of pawpaw (cultivar Mango), derived from high-fidelity third-generation sequencing. The 851.7-Mbp assembly consists of 68 contigs with a scaffold N50 of 28.5 Mbp, guanine-cytosine content of 37%, and a 96.1% benchmarking universal single-copy ortholog completeness score (eudicots). We profiled agronomically relevant transcription factors in the transcription factor family with the DNA-binding WRKY amino acid domain and no apical meristem/Arabidopsis transcription activation factor/cup-shaped cotyledon transcription factor families, which have functions related to environmental and pathogen immunity responses and regulation of fruit traits. Our resource facilitates future genetic and breeding research for this culturally important fruiting tree, expanding its economic and commercial potential.