Raharimalala N. auteur aut IRD Rombauts S. auteur aut IRD McCarthy A. auteur aut IRD Garavito A. auteur aut IRD Orozco-Arias S. auteur aut IRD Bellanger L. auteur aut IRD Morales-Correa A. Y. auteur aut IRD Froger S. auteur aut IRD Michaux S. auteur aut IRD Berry V. auteur aut IRD Metairon S. auteur aut IRD Fournier C. auteur aut IRD Lepelley M. auteur aut IRD Mueller L. auteur aut IRD Couturon Emmanuel auteur aut IRD Hamon Perla auteur aut IRD Rakotomalala J. J. auteur aut IRD Descombes P. auteur aut IRD Guyot Romain auteur aut IRD Crouzillat D. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Caffeine is the most consumed alkaloid stimulant in the world. It is synthesized through the activity of three known N-methyltransferase proteins. Here we are reporting on the 422-Mb chromosome-level assembly of the Coffea humblotiana genome, a wild and endangered, naturally caffeine-free, species from the Comoro archipelago. We predicted 32,874 genes and anchored 88.7% of the sequence onto the 11 chromosomes. Comparative analyses with the African Robusta coffee genome (C. canephora) revealed an extensive genome conservation, despite an estimated 11 million years of divergence and a broad diversity of genome sizes within the Coffea genus. In this genome, the absence of caffeine is likely due to the absence of the caffeine synthase gene which converts theobromine into caffeine through an illegitimate recombination mechanism. These findings pave the way for further characterization of caffeine-free species in the Coffea genus and will guide research towards naturally-decaffeinated coffee drinks for consumers. specialized COMORES 076 020 11 1 8119 [14 p.] 2021 2045-2322 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010081437 10.1038/s41598-021-87419-0 2045-2322 [F B010081437] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010081437 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2021-06/010081437.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-06-15 2021-06-15 fdi:010081437 fre