Genome-Wide Analysis of the SNARE Family in Cultivated Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) Reveals That Some Members Are Involved in Stress Responses.

The superfamily of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins mediates membrane fusion during vesicular transport between endosomes and the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells, playing a vital role in plant development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Peanut ( L.) is a major oilseed crop worldwide that produces pods below ground, which is rare in flowering plants. To date, however, there has been no systematic study of SNARE family proteins in peanut. In this study, we identified 129 putative SNARE genes from cultivated peanut () and 127 from wild peanut (63 from , 64 from ). We sorted the encoded proteins into five subgroups (Qa-, Qb-, Qc-, Qb+c- and R-SNARE) based on their phylogenetic relationships with SNAREs. The genes were unevenly distributed on all 20 chromosomes, exhibiting a high rate of homolog retention from their two ancestors. We identified cis-acting elements associated with development, biotic and abiotic stresses in the promoters of peanut SNARE genes. Transcriptomic data showed that expression of SNARE genes is tissue-specific and stress inducible. We hypothesize that plays an important role in the storage of lipid proteins, while , and might play an important role in development and stress responses. Furthermore, we showed that three AhSNARE genes (, and ) enhance cold and NaCl tolerance in yeast (), especially . This systematic study provides valuable information about the functional characteristics of AhSNARE genes in the development and regulation of abiotic stress responses in peanut.