The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors comprise one of the largest transcription factor families in plants and play important roles in stress responses. However, little is known about the functions of potato NAC family members. Here we report the cloning of a potato NAC transcription factor gene StNAC053, which was significantly upregulated after salt, drought, and abscisic acid treatments. Furthermore, the StNAC053-GFP fusion protein was found to be located in the nucleus and had a C-terminal transactivation domain, implying that StNAC053 may function as a transcriptional activator in potato. Notably, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing StNAC053 displayed lower seed germination rates compared to wild-type under exogenous ABA treatment. In addition, the StNAC053 overexpression Arabidopsis lines displayed significantly increased tolerance to salt and drought stress treatments. Moreover, the StNAC053-OE lines were found to have higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) under multiple stress treatments. Interestingly, the expression levels of several stress-related genes including COR15A,DREB1A, ERD11, RAB18, ERF5, and KAT2, were significantly upregulated in these StNAC053-overexpressing lines. Taken together, overexpression of the stress-inducible StNAC053 gene could enhance the tolerances to both salt and drought stress treatments in Arabidopsis, likely by upregulating stress-related genes.

12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductases (OPRs) have been substantiated as pivotal in plant growth and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functional characterization of OPR genes in the peanut genome remains limited. In this study, we identified a total of 20 OPR genes in a tetraploid cultivar and two diploid peanut species, categorizing them into two subfamilies, OPRI and OPRII. The gene structure and conserved protein motifs within each subfamily were elucidated. Additionally, our findings indicate an uneven chromosomal distribution of peanut OPR genes. Gene duplication events were identified as pivotal in the expansion of the OPR gene family. An analysis of cis-acting elements within OPR gene promoters revealed the presence of numerous phytohormone- and stress-related cis-elements. Furthermore, peanut OPR genes exhibited tissue-specific and stress-inducible expression patterns, underscoring their crucial role in peanut growth and stress response. Additionally, plants overexpressing AhOPR6 exhibited significantly enhanced resistance to salt stress, and the AhOPR6-OE lines demonstrated a higher ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Collectively, these findings offer deeper insights into the roles of peanut OPR genes in stress responses, suggesting that AhOPR6 could serve as a potential candidate gene for improving peanut salt tolerance through genetic transformation.

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are the most important class of cell surface receptors and play crucial roles in plant development and stress responses. However, few studies were reported about the biofunctions of RLK in leaf senescence. In the current study, we characterized a novel RLK-encoding gene senescence-related receptor kinase 1 (SENRK1), which was significantly down-regulated during leaf senescence. Notably, the loss-of-function senrk1 mutants displayed an early leaf senescence phenotype, while overexpression of SENRK1 significantly delayed leaf senescence, indicating that SENRK1 negatively regulates age-dependent leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the senescence-promoting transcription factor WRKY53 is able to repress the expression of SENRK1. While the wrky53 mutant showed a delayed senescence phenotype as reported, the wrky53 senrk1-1 double mutant exhibited precocious leaf senescence, suggesting that SENRK1 functions downstream of WRKY53 in regulating age-dependent leaf senescence in Arabidopsis.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are crucial in safeguarding plants against reactive oxygen species (ROS) toxicity caused by abiotic or biotic factors. Although recent research has revealed the involvement of the SOD gene family in plant biological processes, the understanding of the SOD gene family in peanut remains inadequate. This study comprehensively characterizes the SOD gene family in the peanut genome. A total of 25 AhSOD genes were identified and subsequently categorized into three subfamilies: sixteen AhCSDs, six AhFSDs, and three AhMSDs according to the phylogenetic tree. A comprehensive analysis revealed that the AhSOD genes underwent segmental duplications. The majority of AhSOD genes exhibited conserved exon–intron and motif structures within the same subfamily. The examination of cis-acting elements within the promoter regions of SOD genes revealed that the expression of AhSOD was subject to regulation by plant hormones, as well as responses to defense and stress. RNA-seq analysis showed expression diversity of AhSOD genes in various tissues and cold, drought, and salt stresses. Furthermore, the regulation of AhSOD gene expression is anticipated to involve numerous transcription factors. The gene ontology annotation results validate the role of AhSOD genes in various stress stimuli, SOD activity, reactive oxygen species metabolic processes, and cellular oxidant detoxification processes. This investigation serves as the initial genome-wide analysis of the AhSOD gene family, providing a basis for comprehending the function of the AhSOD gene family and enhancing plant tolerance to cold, drought, and salt stresses.