On May 24, 2024, the research paper titled "Single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing analyses provide molecular insights into early pod development of peanut fruit" by Dr. Xiaqin Liu's laboratory at the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences (PKU-IAAS), was published online in the journal Plant Communications.

 

 

This study aimed to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying early pod development in peanut fruit. The researchers employed cutting-edge techniques such as single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) to gain comprehensive molecular insights into the regulatory processes during this crucial developmental stage.

 

The findings of this research shed light on the gene expression patterns and chromatin accessibility landscapes during early pod development, providing a detailed roadmap of the molecular events that occur in peanut fruit. These results have significant implications for understanding the genetic regulation of fruit development and could contribute to the improvement and breeding of peanut crops.

Figure Anatomical characteristics of three developmental stages of peanut pods

Figure The diagram illustrates the regulatory patterns of light-related genes and early-stage pod development genes expression

 

This study was conducted by the Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Germplasm Innovation of Peanut at the PKU-IAAS. Yuanyuan Cui, an assistant researcher and Yanning Su, a doctoral student at the PKU-IAAS, are joint first authors of the paper. Dr. Xiaqin Liu, the director of the laboratory, is the corresponding author, and Academician Xing Wang Deng provided guidance for the study. This research was supported by grants from the Shandong Provincial Taishan Scholars Program and the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation.

 

Paper link：https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590346224002876