An international team of scientists has generated a high-quality draft
genome of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora). Published in the journal
Science, the genome study compared the plant's genetic sequences with those
of grapevine, tomato and Arabidopsis. It also revealed 23 new genes found
only in coffee, and showed that the genes that brew caffeine in coffee are
different from the ones in cacao and tea, but more closely related to the
genes within the plant. Such a finding suggests that caffeine production
developed independently in coffee.

The newly described genomee also reveals that C. canephora has larger gene
families related to the production of alkaloid and flavonoid compounds,
which contribute to qualities such as coffee aroma and bitterness of beans.
It also has an expanded collection of enzymes involved in making caffeine
called N-methyltransferases. It was also revealed that evolutionary
diversification of the coffee genome was likely driven by duplications in
particular gene families as opposed to en masse, when all genes in the
genome duplicate.

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