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Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the important cash crops in China, and about 40% of peanuts are used for food production. The sucrose content was positively correlated with the flavor and taste of peanut and its products, thus increasing sucrose content in kernel was significant for the promotion of peanut quality. In this study, two F2:3 populations (NYBPXSYT5-1 and 19-1934XJHT1) were constructed to investigate the genetic model of sucrose content, and analyze the correlations between sucrose content with oil content, protein content, and other seed traits. The results showed that the sucrose contents of peanut kernel in two populations were continuously distributed and abundantly varied, and the transgressive segregation phenomenon were observed. In the two populations, sucrose content was significantly negatively correlated with oil content but significantly positively correlated with protein content. However, the correlations between sucrose content and kernel length, kernel width, and 100-kernel weight were inconsistent. The genetic analysis in two populations showed that the sucrose content in peanut kernel was mainly regulated by two pairs of main genes with the additive effect and dominant effect. There was the interaction between the two main genes, as well as the additive effect. This study initially reveals the genetic regulation of sucrose content in peanut kernels, which is beneficial for the breeding of edible peanut varieties and the cultivation of special varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand pathogenicity of Athelia rolfsii to different peanut varieties, six strains with high, moderate and weak virulence were inoculated on resistant and susceptible varieties in the field, occurrence of disease was investigated every week after inoculation. The results showed that the optimal time for investigation was 14 days after inoculation. There was no significant difference in disease index among cultivars inoculated by highly virulent strains ZY2 and SQ1, and weakly virulent strain GP3-1, respectively, but there was significant difference of those inoculated by moderately virulent strains (HA, H1-3 and BL1-1). The disease indices of varieties by strain GP3-1 was low; and was high by strains ZY2 and SQ1. All tested peanut varieties were susceptible to the highly virulent strains ZY2 and SQl.The disease indices between resistant and susceptible varieties showed significant difference among moderately virulent strains. One peanut variety with broad-spectrum resistance to multiple moderately virulent strains was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) have high application value in the fields of industry, medicine and food. Previous research has proved that total content of VLCFAs in the Arachis species is significantly higher than that in cultivated peanuts. In this study, contents of VLCFAs were determined in RIL population derived from the cross between Zhonghua 5 and ICGV86699 with wild species consanguinity. Board phenotypic variations of total very-long-chain fatty acid content ranging from 4.99% to 10.33% was observed among the RILs. Five lines with high total very-long-chain fatty acid content were identified, of them, the highest content of ZJ011 is 9.82%. Based on the previously constructed genetic map, 20 QTLs with 3.72%-15.66% phenotypic variation explained (PVE) were repeatedly detected, and were mainly located on chromosomes A04, B04 and B06. The results lay a molecular and material foundation for the improvement of oil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose content of peanut seeds is an important quality indicator for edible peanuts. In this study, we analyzed the main gene plus multigene genetic model for sucrose content based on peanut recombinant inbred lines from continuous generation populations, and investigated the effects of environmental factors on sucrose content based on the investigation of phenotypic variation of different varieties in various geographical locations. The results revealed that 4 main genes plus additive-epistasis (4MG-AI) was the optimal model in all three generations of the RIL population. The heritabilities of the main genes ranged from 80.8% to 96.1%, indicating a high degree of heritability for peanut sucrose content. Among the four main genes, the 1st and the 2nd main gene explained the phenotypes 30%-52.2% and 25.1%-29.6%, respectively, while the third and fourth pairs of main effect genes explained the phenotypes at smaller rates. Based on the stability analysis of sucrose content of nine peanut materials, including Zhonghua 16, in five different environments, it was found that the coefficients of variation ranged from 17.39% to 39.08%, and that the stability of different materials varied. The environmental stability of sucrose content was varied across different varieties. This study showed that peanut sucrose content is a quantitative trait with high heritability, but it is also affected by environmental factors. The germplasms or varieties with high sucrose content and environmental stability were suggested to be further screened for genetic breeding and functional gene discovery in future breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an important oilseed and cash crop worldwide, contributing an important source of edible oil and protein for human nutrition. However, the incidence of stem rot disease caused by Athelia rolfsii poses a major challenge to peanut cultivation, resulting in significant yield losses. In this study, a panel of 202 peanut accessions was evaluated for their resistance to stem rot by inoculating plants in the field with A. rolfsii-infested oat grains in three environments. The mean disease index value of each environment for accessions in subsp. fasitigiate and subsp. hypogaea showed no significant difference. Accessions from southern China displayed the lowest disease index value compared to those from other ecological regions. We used whole-genome resequencing to analyze the genotypes of the accessions and to identify significant SNPs associated with stem rot resistance through genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 121 significant SNPs associated with stem rot resistance in peanut were identified, with phenotypic variation explained (PVE) ranging from 12.23% to 15.51%. A total of 27 candidate genes within 100 kb upstream and downstream of 23 significant SNPs were annotated, which have functions related to recognition, signal transduction, and defense response. These significant SNPs and candidate genes provide valuable information for further validation and molecular breeding to improve stem rot resistance in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut is susceptible to Aspergillus flavus infection, and the consequent aflatoxin contamination has been recognized as an important risk factor affecting food safety and industry development. Planting peanut varieties with resistance to aflatoxin contamination is regarded as an ideal approach to decrease the risk in food safety, but most of the available resistant varieties have not been extensively used in production because of their low yield potential mostly due to possessing small pods and seeds. Hence, it is highly necessary to integrate resistance to aflatoxin and large seed weight. In this study, an RIL population derived from a cross between Zhonghua 16 with high yield and J 11 with resistance to infection of A. flavus and aflatoxin production, was used to identify quantitative trait locus (QTL) for aflatoxin production (AP) resistance and hundred-seed weight (HSW). From combined analysis using a high-density genetic linkage map constructed, 11 QTLs for AP resistance with 4.61–11.42% phenotypic variation explanation (PVE) and six QTLs for HSW with 3.20–28.48% PVE were identified, including three major QTLs for AP resistance (qAFTA05.1, qAFTB05.2 and qAFTB06.3) and three for HSW (qHSWA05, qHSWA08 and qHSWB06). In addition, qAFTA05.1, qAFTB06.3, qHSWA05, qHSWA08 and qHSWB06 were detected in multiple environments. The aflatoxin contents under artificial inoculation were decreased by 34.77–47.67% in those segregated lines harboring qAFTA05.1, qAFTB05.2 and qAFTB06.3, while the HSWs were increased by 47.56–49.46 g in other lines harboring qHSWA05, qHSWA08 and qHSWB06. Conditional QTL mapping indicated that HSW and percent seed infection index (PSII) had no significant influence on aflatoxin content. Interestingly, the QT 1059 simultaneously harboring alleles of aflatoxin content including qAFTA05.1 and qAFTB05.2, alleles of PSII including qPSIIB03.1, qPSIIB03.2, and qPSIIB10 and alleles of HSW including qHSWA05, qHSWB06, qHSWA08 had better resistance to A. flavus infection and to toxin production and higher yield potential compared with the two parents of the RIL. The above identified major loci for AP resistance and HWS would be helpful for marker-assisted selection in peanut breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut (also called groundnut, Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds are used for producing edible oils and functional foods, and offer a rich source of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. However, the location of these metabolites has not yet been firmly established. In the present study, the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-MSI) technique was applied to investigate spatial distribution of lipids and other key components in seeds of three peanut cultivars (ZH9, KQBH, HP). A total of 103 metabolites, including 34 lipid compounds, were putatively identified by MALDI-MSI. The abundance and spatial distribution of glycerolipids (GLs) and glycerophospholipids (GPs) were compared among the three peanut cultivars. All the identified lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were distributed mainly in the inner part of seeds. The visualization of phosphatidic acids (PAs) and triacylglycerols (TGs) revealed a dramatic metabolic heterogeneity between the different tissues making up the seed. The non-homogeneous spatial distribution of metabolites appeared to be related to the different functions of particular tissue regions. These results indicated that MALDI-MSI could be useful for investigating the lipids of foodstuffs from a spatial perspective. The present study may contribute to the development of oil crops with higher oil yields, and to improvement of food processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents of fat and sucrose are important factors to peanut quality, and revealing their hereditary properties is critical to improve the quality in peanut. In this study, the analysis of embryo, cytoplasm, and maternal effects for fat and sucrose contents in peanut seed were conducted by using general genetic model. Five peanut lines with significantly different fat and sucrose contents were selected as parents for incomplete diallel crosses. The results indicated that the fat content was mainly controlled by embryo additive effect, followed by maternal additive effect. The sucrose content was primarily governed by maternal additive effect. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significantly negative correlation between fat and sucrose contents in peanut seed (r = -0.886**), which was mostly managed by embryo additive and cytoplasmic effects. Predicted genetic effects suggested that 18-1951 with high fat content and JHT1 with high sucrose content were superior donor parents for improving the contents of fat and sucrose in peanut, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding and application of peanut cultivars with desirable resistance to Aspergillus flavus is crucial for integrated management of aflatoxin contamination. Most peanut germplasm lines identified as resistant to A. flavus infection or aflatoxin production possess small pod or seed with relatively low yield potential. In this study, a total of 188 recombinant inbreed lines (RILs) population derived from Zhonghua 16 x J11 were assessed for their resistance to A. flavus infection and consequent aflatoxin production. The yield-related traits including 100-pod weight and 100-seed weight were also investigated among the RILs. The results revealed that variations of percent seed infection index (PSII) and aflatoxin content (AFT) in the RILs were much wider than those of their two parents. Eight lines with resistance to seed infection, nine lines with resistance to aflatoxin production were identified from the RILs. A special line with large pod and resistance to both seed infection and aflatoxin production was identified, which could be potential for further resistance improvement in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), which is rich in edible oil and protein, is widely planted around the world as an oil and cash crop. However, aflatoxin contamination seriously affects the quality safety of peanuts, hindering the development of the peanut industry and threatening the health of consumers. Breeding peanut varieties with resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection is important for the control of aflatoxin contamination, and understanding the genetic basis of resistance is vital to its genetic enhancement. In this study, we reported the quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of resistance to A. flavus infection of a well-known resistant variety, J11. A mapping population consisting of 200 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was constructed by crossing a susceptible variety, Zhonghua 16, with J11. Through whole-genome resequencing, a genetic linkage map was constructed with 2,802 recombination bins and an average inter-bin distance of 0.58 cM. Combined with phenotypic data of an infection index in 4 consecutive years, six novel resistant QTLs with 5.03–10.87% phenotypic variances explained (PVE) were identified on chromosomes A05, A08, B01, B03, and B10. The favorable alleles of five QTLs were from J11, while that of one QTL was from Zhonghua 16. The combination of these favorable alleles significantly improved resistance to A. flavus infection. These results could contribute greatly to the understanding of the genetic basis of A. flavus resistance and could be meaningful in the improvement of further resistance in peanuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut is an important legume crop worldwide. To uncover the genetic basis of yield features and assist breeding in the future, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for six yield-related traits of the Chinese peanut mini-core collection. The seed (pod) size and weight of the population were investigated under four different environments, and these traits showed highly positive correlations in pairwise combinations. We sequenced the Chinese peanut mini-core collection using genotyping-by-sequencing approach and identified 105,814 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The population structure analysis showed essentially subspecies patterns in groups and obvious geographical distribution patterns in subgroups. A total of 79 significantly associated loci (P < 4.73 × 10–7) were detected for the six yield-related traits through GWAS. Of these, 31 associations were consistently detected in multiple environments, and 15 loci were commonly detected to be associated with multiple traits. Two major loci located on chromosomal pseudomolecules A06 and A02 showed pleiotropic effects on yield-related traits, explaining ∼20% phenotypic variations across environments. The two genomic regions were found 46 putative candidate genes based on gene annotation and expression profile. The diagnostic marker for the yield-related traits from non-synonymous SNP (Aradu-A06-107901527) was successfully validated, achieving a high correlation between nucleotide polymorphism and phenotypic variation. This study provided insights into the genetic basis of yield-related traits in peanut and verified one diagnostic marker to facilitate marker-assisted selection for developing high-yield peanut varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resveratrol (trans-3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene) is a natural stilbene phytoalexin which is also found to be good for human health. Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), a worldwide important legume crop, is one of the few sources of human's dietary intake of resveratrol. Although the variations of resveratrol contents among peanut varieties were observed, the variations across environments and its underlying genetic basis were poorly investigated. In this study, the resveratrol content in seeds of a recombination inbred line (RIL) population (Zhonghua 6 × Xuhua 13, 186 progenies) were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method across four environments. Genotypes, environments and genotype × environment interactions significantly influenced the resveratrol contents in the RIL population. A total of 8,114 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified based on double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) reads. These SNPs were clustered into bins using a reference-based method, which facilitated the construction of high-density genetic map (2,183 loci with a total length of 2,063.55 cM) and the discovery of several chromosome translocations. Through composite interval mapping (CIM), nine additive quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resveratrol contents were identified on chromosomes A01, A07, A08, B04, B05, B06, B07, and B10 with 5.07–8.19% phenotypic variations explained (PVE). Putative genes within their confidential intervals might play roles in diverse primary and secondary metabolic processes. These results laid a foundation for the further genetic dissection of resveratrol content as well as the breeding and production of high-resveratrol peanuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop worldwide. Compared to other common edible vegetable oils, peanut oil contains a higher content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), approximately 20–40% of which are very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). To understand the basis for this oil profile, we interrogated genes for peanut β-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS), which is known to be a key enzyme in VLCFA biosynthesis. A total of 30 AhKCS genes were identified in the assembled genome of the peanut. Based on transcriptome data, nine AhKCS genes with high expression levels in developing seeds were cloned and expressed in yeast. All these AhKCSs could produce VLCFAs but result in different profiles, indicating that the AhKCSs catalyzed fatty acid elongation with different substrate specificities. Expression level analysis of these nine AhKCS genes was performed in developing seeds from six peanut germplasm lines with different VLCFA contents. Among these genes, the expression levels of AhKCS1 or AhKCS28 were, 4–10-fold higher than that of any other AhKCS. However, only the expression levels of AhKCS1 and AhKCS28 were significantly and positively correlated with the VLCFA content, suggesting that AhKCS1 and AhKCS28 were involved in the regulation of VLCFA content in the peanut seed. Further subcellular localization analysis indicated that AhKCS1 and AhKCS28 were located at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Overexpression of AhKCS1 or AhKCS28 in Arabidopsis increased the contents of VLCFAs in the seed, especially for very long chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFAs). Taken together, this study suggests that AhKCS1 and AhKCS28 could be key genes in regulating VLCFA biosynthesis in the seed, which could be applied to improve the health-promoting and nutritional qualities of the peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The transcriptome connects genome to the gene function and ultimate phenome in biology. So far, transcriptomic approach was not used in peanut for performing trait mapping in bi‐parental populations. In this research, we sequenced the whole transcriptome in immature seeds in a peanut recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and explored thoroughly the landscape of transcriptomic variations and its genetic basis. The comprehensive analysis identified total 49 691 genes in RIL population, of which 92 genes followed a paramutation‐like expression pattern. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis identified 1207 local eQTLs and 15 837 distant eQTLs contributing to the whole‐genome transcriptomic variation in peanut. There were 94 eQTL hot spot regions detected across the genome with the dominance of distant eQTL. By integrating transcriptomic profile and annotation analyses, we unveiled a putative candidate gene and developed a linked marker InDel02 underlying a major QTL responsible for purple testa colour in peanut. Our result provided a first understanding of genetic basis of whole‐genome transcriptomic variation in peanut and illustrates the potential of the transcriptome‐aid approach in dissecting important traits in non‐model plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, is a devastating disease affecting over 350 plant species. A few peanut cultivars were found to possess stable and durable bacterial wilt resistance (BWR). Genomics‐assisted breeding can accelerate the process of developing resistant cultivars by using diagnostic markers. Here, we deployed sequencing‐based trait mapping approach, QTL‐seq, to discover genomic regions, candidate genes and diagnostic markers for BWR in a recombination inbred line population (195 progenies) of peanut. The QTL‐seq analysis identified one candidate genomic region on chromosome B02 significantly associated with BWR. Mapping of newly developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers narrowed down the region to 2.07 Mb and confirmed its major effects and stable expressions across three environments. This candidate genomic region had 49 nonsynonymous SNPs affecting 19 putative candidate genes including seven putative resistance genes (R‐genes). Two diagnostic markers were successfully validated in diverse breeding lines and cultivars and could be deployed in genomics‐assisted breeding of varieties with enhanced BWR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important grain legume providing high‐quality cooking oil, rich proteins and other nutrients. Shelling percentage (SP) is the 2nd most important agronomic trait after pod yield and this trait significantly affects the economic value of peanut in the market. Deployment of diagnostic markers through genomics‐assisted breeding (GAB) can accelerate the process of developing improved varieties with enhanced SP. In this context, we deployed the QTL‐seq approach to identify genomic regions and candidate genes controlling SP in a recombinant inbred line population (Yuanza 9102 × Xuzhou 68‐4). Four libraries (two parents and two extreme bulks) were constructed and sequenced, generating 456.89–790.32 million reads and achieving 91.85%–93.18% genome coverage and 14.04–21.37 mean read depth. Comprehensive analysis of two sets of data (Yuanza 9102/two bulks and Xuzhou 68‐4/two bulks) using the QTL‐seq pipeline resulted in discovery of two overlapped genomic regions (2.75 Mb on A09 and 1.1 Mb on B02). Nine candidate genes affected by 10 SNPs with non‐synonymous effects or in UTRs were identified in these regions for SP. Cost‐effective KASP (Kompetitive Allele‐Specific PCR) markers were developed for one SNP from A09 and three SNPs from B02 chromosome. Genotyping of the mapping population with these newly developed KASP markers confirmed the major control and stable expressions of these genomic regions across five environments. The identified candidate genomic regions and genes for SP further provide opportunity for gene cloning and deployment of diagnostic markers in molecular breeding for achieving high SP in improved varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten peanut lines developed by Oil Crops Research Institute (CAAS, Wuhan, China) were evaluated for resistance and yield loss to peanut stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii under natural disease condition and by artificial inoculation. Results indicated that the wilting rates of these lines ranged from 11.0% to 50.0% under natural disease condition and 7 lines had the wilting rates lower than 30. 0%. Peanut yield and wilting rate were significantly negative correlated (r= -0.73,P < 0.05). The wilting rates of these lines (from 66.1% to 94.0%), at two weeks post inoculation in the artificial inoculation experiment,were lower than those (from 66.1% to 97.4%) before harvest, all these lines were susceptible to infection by S. rolfsii. The peanut yield was negatively related with wilting rate by artificial inoculation with the correlation coefficient of -0.85 (P <0.05). The peanut yield loss was higher than 91.7% for all these lines after artificial inoculation. One tolerant line 16 - A13440 was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-density genetic maps (HDGMs) are very useful for genomic studies and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. However, the low frequency of DNA polymorphisms in peanut has limited the quantity of available markers and hindered the construction of a HDGM. This study generated a peanut genetic map with the highest number of high-quality SNPs based on specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology and a newly constructed RIL population (“ZH16” × “sd-H1”). The constructed HDGM included 3,630 SNP markers belonging to 2,636 bins on 20 linkage groups (LGs), and it covers 2,098.14 cM in length, with an average marker distance of 0.58 cM. This HDGM was applied for the following collinear comparison, scaffold anchoring and analysis of genomic characterization including recombination rates and segregation distortion in peanut. For QTL mapping of investigated 14 yield-related traits, a total of 62 QTLs were detected on 12 chromosomes across 3 environments, and the co-localization of QTLs was observed for these traits which were significantly correlated on phenotype. Two stable co-located QTLs for seed- and pod-related traits were significantly identified in the chromosomal end of B06 and B07, respectively. The construction of HDGM and QTL analysis for yield-related traits in this study provide useful information for fine mapping and functional analysis of genes as well as molecular marker-assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late leaf spot (LLS) is one of the most serious foliar diseases affecting peanut worldwide leading to huge yield loss. To understand the genetic basis of LLS and assist breeding in the future, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for LLS and three plant-type-related traits including height of main stem (HMS), length of the longest branch (LLB) and total number of branches (TNB). Significant negative correlations were observed between LLS and the plant-type-related traits in multi-environments of a RIL population from the cross Zhonghua 5 and ICGV 86699. A total of 20 QTLs were identified for LLS, of which two QTLs were identified in multi-environments and six QTLs with phenotypic variation explained (PVE) more than 10%. Ten, seven, fifteen QTLs were identified for HMS, LLB and TNB, respectively. Of these, one, one, two consensus QTLs and three, two, three major QTLs were detected for HMS, LLB and TNB, respectively. Of all 52 unconditional QTLs for LLS and plant-type-related traits, 10 QTLs were clustered in five genetic regions, of which three clusters including five robust major QTLs overlapped between LLS and one of the plant-type-related traits, providing evidence that the correlation could be genetically constrained. On the other hand, conditional mapping revealed different numbers and different extent of additive effects of QTLs for LLS conditioned on three plant-type-related traits (HMS, LLB and TNB), which improved our understanding of interrelationship between LLS and plant-type-related traits at the QTL level. Furthermore, two QTLs, qLLSB6-7 and qLLSB1 for LLS resistance, were identified residing in two clusters of NB-LRR—encoding genes. This study not only provided new favorable QTLs for fine-mapping, but also suggested that the relationship between LLS and plant-type-related traits of HMS, LLB and TNB should be considered while breeding for improved LLS resistance in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) is one of the most widely distributed molecular markers that have been widely utilized to assess genetic diversity and genetic mapping for important traits in plants. However, the understanding of microsatellite characteristics in Arachis species and the currently available amount of high-quality SSR markers remain limited. In this study, we identified 16,435 genome survey sequences SSRs (GSS-SSRs) and 40,199 expressed sequence tag SSRs (EST-SSRs) in Arachis hypogaea and its wild relative species using the publicly available sequence data. The GSS-SSRs had a density of 159.9–239.8 SSRs/Mb for wild Arachis and 1,015.8 SSR/Mb for cultivated Arachis, whereas the EST-SSRs had the density of 173.5–384.4 SSR/Mb and 250.9 SSRs/Mb for wild and cultivated Arachis, respectively. The trinucleotide SSRs were predominant across Arachis species, except that the dinucleotide accounted for most in A. hypogaea GSSs. From Arachis GSS-SSR and EST-SSR sequences, we developed 2,589 novel SSR markers that showed a high polymorphism in six diverse A. hypogaea accessions. A genetic linkage map that contained 540 novel SSR loci and 105 anchor SSR loci was constructed by case of a recombinant inbred lines F6 population. A subset of 82 randomly selected SSR markers were used to screen 39 wild and 22 cultivated Arachis accessions, which revealed a high transferability of the novel SSRs across Arachis species. Our results provided informative clues to investigate microsatellite patterns across A. hypogaea and its wild relative species and potentially facilitate the germplasm evaluation and gene mapping in Arachis species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Association mapping is a powerful approach for exploring the molecular basis of phenotypic variations in plants. A peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) mini-core collection in China comprising 298 accessions was genotyped using 109 simple sequence repeat (SSR)markers, which identified 554 SSR alleles and phenotyped for 15 agronomic traits in three different environments, exhibiting abundant genetic and phenotypic diversity within the panel. A model-based structure analysis assigned all accessions to three groups. Most of the accessions had the relative kinship of less than 0.05, indicating that there were no or weak relationships between accessions of the minicore collection. For 15 agronomic traits in the peanut panel, generally the Q+K model exhibited the best performance to eliminate the false associated positives compared to the Q model and the general linear model-simple model. In total, 89 SSR alleles were identified to be associated with 15 agronomic traits of three environments by the Q+K model-based association analysis. Of these, eight alleles were repeatedly detected in two or three environments, and 15 alleles were commonly detected to be associated with multiple agronomic traits. Simple sequence repeat allelic effects confirmed significant differences between different genotypes of these repeatedly detected markers. Our results demonstrate the great potential of integrating the association analysis and marker-assisted breeding by utilizing the peanut mini-core collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) is one of the key enzymes in biosynthesis pathway of triacylglycerol (TAG) in plant. A full-length cDNA library of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) was constructed from seed by means of a large number of sequences of expressed sequence tag (EST) and gene functional annotation. A lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase gene, designated AhLPAT, and its genomic DNA sequence was isolated from peanut. The sequence of AhLPAT cDNA was 1753 bp, and its genomic sequence was 5331 bp. Bioinformatic analysis showed that AhLPAT was composed of 11 exons and 10 introns with typical GT-AG sequence at the splice site. A peptide of 387 amino acid residues was deduced from AhLPAT, with molecular weight of 43.2 kD and isoelectric point (pI) of 9.42. Conserved domain prediction indicated that AhLPAT comprised a typical conserved acyltransferase domain and a conserved lysophospholipid acyltransferase domain. The deduced amino acid had a high sequence similarity with the LPAT proteins from other species. Similarities for amino acid sequence of LPAT protein between peanut and Tropaeolum majus, Brassica napus, Crambe hispanica subsp. abyssinica, Ricinus communis, and Arabidopsis thaliana were 90%, 89%, 89%, 88%, and 87%, respectively. The phylogenetic tree suggested that AhLPAT and AtLPAT2 derived from A. thaliana were grouped into the same class, and both of them were endoplasmic reticulum type LPATs. The result of quantitative RT-PCR assay indicated that AhLPAT was ubiquitously expressed in root, stem, leaf, flower, gynophore, and seed of peanut with the highest level in gynophore and seed. The peak expression was in the period of 50–60 d after flowering. Correlation between AhLPAT expression and oil accumulation was significant (r = 0.63, P < 0.05). These results suggest that AhLPAT plays an important role in peanut TAG biosynthesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mini core collection plays an important role in evaluating genetic resources of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). This study aimed at comparing the genetic diversities of a domestic and exotic peanut mini core collections and providing basic data for germplasm introduction and peanut breeding. The exotic mini core collection, which was introduced from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT, Patancheru, India), consisted of 168 accessions, whereas the Chinese mini core collection consisted of 298 accessions. A total of 26 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity of these genotypes and their similarities. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.49 to 0.99 among the total 466 accessions and the largest genetic distance was between “L2 Gangguo” from the Chinese core collection and “ICG12625” from the ICRISAT core collection. Among the 6 botanical types of peanut, the fastigiata type had the largest genetic diversity indices in both Chinese and ICRISAT mini core collections, which were 1.11 and 0.97, respectively. The hypogaea type had the second largest diversity with genetic diversity indices of 0.89 and 0.88 for Chinese and ICRISAT mini core collections, respectively. The genetic distance between the 2 mini core collections was larger than that within a mini core collection. Particularly, the aequatoriana genotype ICG12625 from ICRISAT had the largest differences to the Chinese genotypes. According to similarity coefficient and genetic diversity index, the genetic diversity was greater among genotypes from the Chinese mini core collection than that from the ICRISAT mini core collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fatty acids of 87 wild Arachis accessions and 113 interspecific hybrid derivatives were tested to investigate their variations and breeding potential for improving fatty acid content in cultivated peanut (A. hypogaea L.). Compared with cultivated peanut, the wild species showed similar palmitic content, lower stearic and oleic contents, and higher linoleic content. The components of fatty acids varied obviously across species or accessions in the same species. The lowest content of palmitic acid was in A. rigonii; the highest oleic acid content in A. pusilla and A. duranensis, and the highest linoleic acid content in A. batizoco. Two accessions coded as 19-6 (A. duranensis) and 23-1 (Arachis sp.) were identified with oleic content higher than 60%. Seven species were in high content of linoleic acid (>40%), including accession 11-4 (A. rigonii) with 48% of linoleic acid content that was the highest record. The interspecific hybrids had transgressive segregation in most fatty acids. There were significant variations in contents of palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids among the hybrid lines. Six hybrids were obtained with oleic acid content higher than 64% and palmitic acid content less than 8.5%, such as yz8913-8 with oleic acid content of 67.8% (30 percent points higher than its parents) and palmitic acid content of 7.6%. Analysis based on sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) showed that new bands were present in the 6 hybrids. According to pod yield per plant, hundred-pod weight, hundred-seed weight, growth duration, main stem height, and total branch number, hybrids yz8818-16, yz903-1-59, yz903-2-40, and y8913-8 were of great value in breeding programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) are the most common aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus in peanuts, with high carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Identification of DNA markers associated with resistance to aflatoxin production is likely to offer breeders efficient tools to develop resistant cultivars through molecular breeding. In this study, seeds of 99 accessions of a Chinese peanut mini-mini core collection were investigated for their reaction to aflatoxin production by a laboratory kernel inoculation assay. Two resistant accessions (Zh.h0551 and Zh.h2150) were identified, with their aflatoxin content being 8.11%–18.90% of the susceptible control. The 99 peanut accessions were also genotyped by restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq) for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 60 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers associated with aflatoxin production were detected, and they explained 16.87%–31.70% of phenotypic variation (PVE), with SNP02686 and SNP19994 possessing 31.70% and 28.91% PVE, respectively. Aflatoxin contents of accessions with "AG" (existed in Zh.h0551 and Zh.h2150) and "GG" genotypes of either SNP19994 or SNP02686 were significantly lower than that of "AA" genotypes in the mean value of a three-year assay. The resistant accessions and molecular markers identified in this study are likely to be helpful for deployment in aflatoxin resistance breeding in peanuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose content is a key factor for the flavor of edible peanut, which determines the sweet taste of fresh peanut and also attribute to pleasant flavor of roasted peanut. To explore the genetic mechanism of the sucrose content in peanut, an F 2 population was created by crossing the sweet cultivar Zhonghuatian 1 (ZHT1) with Nanyangbaipi (NYBP). A genomic region spanning 28.26 kb on chromosome A06 was identified for the sucrose content through genetic mapping, elucidating 47.5% phenotypic variance explained. As the sucrose content had a significantly negative correlation with the oil content, this region was also found to be related to the oil content explaining 37.2% of phenotype variation. In this region, Arahy.42CAD1 was characterized as the most likely candidate gene through a comprehensive analysis. The nuclear localization of Arahy.42CAD1 suggests its potential involvement in the regulation of gene expression for sucrose and oil contents in peanut. Transcriptome analysis of the developing seeds in both parents revealed that genes involved in glycolysis and triacylglycerol biosynthesis pathways were not significantly down-regulated in ZHT1, indicating that the sucrose accumulation was not attributed to the suppression of triacylglycerol biosynthesis. Based on the WGCNA analysis, Arahy.42CAD1 was co-expressed with the genes involved in vesicle transport and oil body assembly, suggesting that the sucrose accumulation may be caused by disruptions in TAG transportation or storage mechanisms. These findings offer new insights into the molecular mechanisms governing sucrose accumulation in peanut, and also provide a potential gene target for enhancing peanut flavor. • A candidate gene was identified for simultaneously regulation of sucrose and oil contents in peanut. • Sucrose accumulation in peanut is attributed to a reduction of oil content. • Disruptions in TAG transportation or storage mechanisms may contribute to sucrose accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total of 14 AhPIF genes were identified in Arachis hypogaea genome. • Segmental duplications contribute to the expansion of peanut PIF gene family. • AhPIF3A4 and AhPIFB4 may possibly participate in peanut early pod development. Peanut is typically a geocarpic plant. The developing gynophore ('peg') in air could not swell normally until it buries into soil, indicating light-to-dark conversion is necessary for early pod development in peanut. As the subfamily of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs) are key regulators involved in light signaling pathways, and play crucial roles in plant growth and development. In the current study, a total of 14 AhPIFs were identified in cultivated peanut genome (Arachis hypogaea L., AABB), while seven AdPIFs and six AiPIFs were discovered in the two wild diploids (A. duranensis (AA), A. ipaensis (BB)) respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that peanut PIFs were clustered into four distinct clades, and members within the same subgroup had conserved motifs and displayed similar exon–intron distribution patterns. Gene synteny analysis indicated most of the PIFs exhibit one-to-one homology relationship between AA and BB subgenome in A. hypogaea , as well as among the three peanut species. Gene duplication detection showed that segmental duplication and purifying selection contributed to the expansion and evolution of peanut PIF gene family. Transcript profiles combined with subcellular localization analysis suggested AhPIF3A4 and AhPIF3B4 may possibly be involved in regulation of peanut early pod development. This study could further facilitate functional characterization of PIFs in peanut and other legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]