Identification and Expression Profile of NCED Genes in Arachis hypogaea L. during Drought Stress

Peanut ( L.) is an important crop that provides essential proteins and oils for human and animal consumption. 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) have been found can play a vital role in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and may be a response to drought stress. Until now, in , no information about the gene family has been reported and the importance of NCED-related drought tolerance is unclear. In this study, eight genes in , referred to as , are distributed across eight chromosomes, with duplication events in and , and , and and . Comparative analysis revealed that genes are highly conserved among plant species, including , , , , and . Further promoter analysis showed have ABA-related and drought-inducible elements. The phenotyping of cultivars NH5 and FH18 demonstrated that NH5 is drought-tolerant and FH18 is drought-sensitive. Transcriptome expression analysis revealed the differential regulation of expression in both NH5 and FH18 cultivars under drought stress. Furthermore, compared to the cultivar FH18, the NH5 exhibited a significant upregulation of expression under drought. To sum up, this study provides an insight into the drought-related genes, screened out the potential candidates to regulate drought tolerance and ABA biosynthesis in .