Title: Plastid Genomics of Wild Grapes (Vitis viniferas subsp. sylvestris) from South Caucasus, Europe and Meditterean Basin

Biography:

The presenting author works on grape genomics during past 10 years. She has numbers of scientific articles devoted to the mentioned field and is participant of different international scientific conferences. 
 

Abstract

Vitis L. belongs to one of the oldest Vitaceae family of flowering plants. Wild grape Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris is a predecessor of cultivated grape and represents the only species of the genus aboriginal to Eurasia. According to many researchers the cultivated grape is believed to have been domesticated around 6000 BC. Resent chemical analyses of ancient organic compounds absorbed into the pottery fabrics from sites in Georgia in the South Caucasus region, dating to the early Neolithic period (ca. 6,000–5,000 BC), provide the earliest biomolecular archaeological evidence for grape wine and viniculture from the Near East, at ca. 6,000–5,800 BC. The discovery of early sixth millennium BC grape wine in this region is crucial to the later history of wine in Europe and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, multiple origins of cultivated grapevine, one in the Near East and another in the Western Mediterranean region are also considered. Over the last years the next-generation plastid DNA genomics has emerged as a powerful and increasingly accessible tool for plant phylogenetics. The main goal of the presented research were: 1. Assessment of genetic diversity of wild grapes from South Caucasus, Europe and Mediterranean basin by using complete chloroplast DNA Illumina sequencing; 2. Annotation of sequenced plastid genomes of wild grape samples from the above mentioned regions. The obtained results are very important for the understanding of wild grape plastid genomes composition and for the study of  genetic relationships between wild and cultivated grapes from different geographical locations to explain the molecular bases of grape origin and evolution.