Scientists have arranged the genome of the coffee plant and uncovered some secrets about the evolution of our favorite chemical: caffeine.
The arrangement and positions of genes in coffee show that they evolved independently from genes with similar functions in tea and chocolate, which also make caffeine.
In other words, coffee didn’t acquire caffeine-linked genes from a common ancestor, but instead developed the genes on its own.
With more than 2.25 billion cups consumed daily worldwide, coffee is the principal agricultural brand of many tropical countries.
According to estimates by the International Coffee firm, more than 8.7 million tons of coffee were produced in 2013, revenue from exports amounted to $15.4 billion in 2009-2010, and the sector employed nearly 26 million people in 52 countries during 2010.
Coffee is as cruicial to everyday early risers as it is to the global economy,says Philippe Lashermes, a researcher at the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD).Accordingly, a genome sequence could be a significant step toward developing coffee. By looking at the coffee genome and genes specific to coffee, we were capable to draw some conclusions about what makes coffee special.
LARGER GENE FAMILIES
Researchers developed a high-quality draft of the genome of Coffea canephora, which accounts for about 30 percent of the world’s coffee production, according to the National Coffee Association.
The arrangement and positions of genes in coffee show that they evolved independently from genes with similar functions in tea and chocolate, which also make caffeine.
In other words, coffee didn’t acquire caffeine-linked genes from a common ancestor, but instead developed the genes on its own.
With more than 2.25 billion cups consumed daily worldwide, coffee is the principal agricultural brand of many tropical countries.
According to estimates by the International Coffee firm, more than 8.7 million tons of coffee were produced in 2013, revenue from exports amounted to $15.4 billion in 2009-2010, and the sector employed nearly 26 million people in 52 countries during 2010.
Coffee is as cruicial to everyday early risers as it is to the global economy,says Philippe Lashermes, a researcher at the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD).Accordingly, a genome sequence could be a significant step toward developing coffee. By looking at the coffee genome and genes specific to coffee, we were capable to draw some conclusions about what makes coffee special.
LARGER GENE FAMILIES
Researchers developed a high-quality draft of the genome of Coffea canephora, which accounts for about 30 percent of the world’s coffee production, according to the National Coffee Association.
Compared to other plant breed, including the grape and tomato, coffee harbors larger families of genes that relate to the production of alkaloid and flavonoid compounds, which contribute to qualities like aroma and the bitterness of beans.
Coffee also has an expanded collection of N-methyltransferases, enzymes that are involved in making caffeine.
Coffee’s caffeine enzymes are more nearly related to other genes within the coffee plant than to caffeine enzymes in tea and chocolate, suggesting that caffeine production developed independently in coffee.
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