Project description:Seed expansion in peanut is a complex biological process involving many gene regulatory pathways. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in plant growth and development, but little is known about their functions during seed expansion, or how they contribute to seed expansion in different peanut lines. We examined seed miRNA expression patterns at 15 and 35 days after flowering ( DAF ) in two peanut 8th generation recombinant inbred lines (RIL8); 8106, a medium-pod variety, and 8107, a super-pod variety. Using high-throughput sequencing, we identified 1082 miRNAs in developing peanut seeds including 434 novel miRNAs. We identified 316 differentially expressed miRNAs by comparing expression levels between the two peanut lines. Interestingly, 24 miRNAs showed contrasting patterns of expression in the two RILs, and 149 miRNAs were expressed predominantly in only one RIL at 35 DAF. Also, potential target genes for some conserved and novel miRNAs were identified by degradome sequencing; target genes were predicted to be involved in auxin mediated signaling pathways and cell division. We validated the expression patterns of some representative miRNAs and 12 target genes by qPCR, and found negative correlations between the expression level of miRNAs and their targets. miR156e, miR159b, miR160a, miR164a, miR166b, miR168a, miR171n, miR172c-5p, and miR319d and their corresponding target genes may play key roles in seed expansion in peanut. The results of our study also provide novel insights into the dynamic changes in miRNAs that occur during peanut seed development, and increase our understanding of miRNA function in seed expansion.
Project description:Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a prominent legume and oilseed crop cultivated globally for its economic significance and nutritional value, as it is rich in fat, protein, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. To meet the growing demand for edible oil and protein, it is necessary to further expand the cultivation area and improve the seed yield of peanut. Salinized land represents a potential resource for expanding peanut cultivation. However, most peanut genotypes are sensitive to salt stress, and soil salinity severely limits peanut productivity. Therefore, enhancing salt tolerance in peanut is essential. This study aimed to identify genes associated with salt stress through transcriptome analysis, thereby providing a genetic basis for improving salt tolerance in peanut. To identify salt stress-related genes, two cultivars—Huayu 33 (HY33, salt-tolerant) and Huayu 9115 (HY9115, salt-sensitive)—were subjected to salt stress treatment. Plants of HY33 and HY9115 were collected at 0 h, 3 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h after salt treatment for transcriptome sequencing. Using the RNA sequencing data, numerous differentially expressed genes were identified as candidates for further functional study. This study provides extensive gene expression data for identifying key genes related to salt stress and establishes a basis for elucidating the underlying regulatory mechanisms. These findings can contribute to enhancing the salt tolerance of peanut through molecular breeding.
Project description:Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is considered as a moderately salt-sensitive species and thus soil salinity can be a limiting factor for peanut cultivation. To gain insights into peanut plant physiology in response to salt stress and alleviation, we comprehensively characterized leaf relative electrolyte leakage (REC), photosynthesis, leaf transpiration, and metabolism of plants under salt stress and plants that were subjected to salt stress followed by salt alleviation period. As expected, we found that REC levels were higher when plants were subjected to salt stress compared with the untreated plants. However, in contrast to expectations, REC was even higher compared with salt treated plants when plants were transferred from salt stress to standard conditions. To decipher REC variation in response to salt stress, especial during the recovery, metabolite, and transcript variations were analyzed by GC/MS and RNA-seq method, respectively. Ninety two metabolites, among total 391 metabolites identified, varied in response to salt and 42 metabolites responded to recovery specially. Transcriptomics data showed 1,742 in shoots and 3,281 in roots transcript varied in response to salt stress and 372 in shoots and 1,386 transcripts in roots responded specifically to recovery, but not salt stress. Finally, 95 transcripts and 1 metabolite are indicated as candidates involved in REC, photosynthesis, transpiration, and Na+ accumulation variation were revealed by using the principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis. This study provides valuable information on peanut response to salt stress and recovery and may inspire further study to improve salt tolerance in peanut germplasm innovation.