[Transcriptome profiling of high oleic peanut under low temperatureduring germination].

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Genomics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• High oleic (HO) peanut oils offer health and industrial benefits due to nutritional value and stability.
• HO peanuts are susceptible to cold stress during germination, limiting their cultivation in cooler regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular mechanisms of cold stress response in HO peanuts during germination.
• To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key pathways associated with cold tolerance in HO peanuts.

Main Methods:

• Genome-wide gene regulation analysis using high-throughput sequencing and transcriptome analysis of four HO peanut varieties under low temperatures.
• Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses to understand DEG functions.
• Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to validate the expression of selected cold-induced genes and transcription factors.

Main Results:

• 3520 common DEGs were identified between cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive HO peanuts, with more genes upregulated in tolerant varieties.
• GO analysis revealed enrichment of DEGs in cell membrane metabolism, integrity, and cell periphery proteins in cold-tolerant peanuts.
• KEGG analysis highlighted the importance of plant-pathogen interaction and plant hormone signal transduction pathways in cold tolerance.
• Expression of key genes (TIC, ATX3, AGO4, bHLH, MYB, EREB, FER) was confirmed to respond to low-temperature stress during germination.

Conclusions:

• Transcriptional regulation plays a crucial role in HO peanut cold tolerance during germination.
• Identified genes (e.g., TIC, ATX3, AGO4, FER, bHLH, MYB, EREB) are potential targets for improving peanut cold resistance.
• This study provides valuable data for breeding more stress-resilient HO peanut varieties.