Transcriptomic analysis of AhAHL23-mediated root development and space-induced mutations in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

Peanut seedling development encompasses four distinct tissues (leaf, stem, hypocotyl, root) with largely uncharacterized transcriptional regulatory networks, so we conducted RNA-seq on the space mutant line ZHM112. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in peanut seedlings were enriched in basic biosynthesis and physiological metabolism pathways, with photosynthetic metabolism prominent in leaves and hormone metabolism in roots. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified eight modules related to the four tissues. By integrating differential expression and co-expression analyses, we found 1190 key genes in leaves, 133 in stems, 72 in hypocotyls, and 1472 in roots. Further, screening these genes led to the identification of 154 core transcription factors and the construction of a transcriptional regulatory network. Notably, the root-specific transcription factor AhAHL23 was found to enhance root development in Arabidopsis by modulating auxin and cytokinin pathways upon ectopic expression. These findings elucidate the transcriptional regulatory networks of peanut seedling development, providing a molecular basis for understanding genetic improvements in space breeding and their applications in peanut cultivation.