Genome-Wide Identification and Comprehensive Analysis of the GASA Gene Family in Peanuts ( L.) under Abiotic Stress.

Peanut ( L.) is a globally cultivated crop of significant economic and nutritional importance. The role of gibberellic-acid-stimulated Arabidopsis (GASA) family genes is well established in plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, there is a gap in understanding the function of GASA proteins in cultivated peanuts, particularly in response to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. Thus, we conducted comprehensive in silico analyses to identify and verify the existence of 40 GASA genes (termed ) in cultivated peanuts. Subsequently, we conducted biological experiments and performed expression analyses of selected genes to elucidate their potential regulatory roles in response to drought and salinity. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that genes could be categorized into four distinct subfamilies. Under normal growth conditions, selected genes exhibited varying expressions in young peanut seedling leaves, stems, and roots tissues. Notably, our findings indicate that certain genes were downregulated under drought stress but upregulated under salt stress. These results suggest that specific genes are involved in the regulation of salt or drought stress. Further functional characterization of the upregulated genes under both drought and salt stress will be essential to confirm their regulatory roles in this context. Overall, our findings provide compelling evidence of the involvement of genes in the mechanisms of stress tolerance in cultivated peanuts. This study enhances our understanding of the functions of genes in response to abiotic stress and lays the groundwork for future investigations into the molecular characterization of genes.