Transcriptome profiling in peanut (Arachis hypogaea) in response to biotic stress produce by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TA-1

This study aimed to investigate the transcriptional response of peanut plants against the biocontrol agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TA-1. Gene expression analysis showed the highest number of Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in downregulation in samples Bam_Am_1_vs_Bam_CK_1 compared to other samples (Bam_Am_2_vs_Bam_CK_2, and Bam_Am_3_vs_Bam_CK_3) After de novo annotation of the transcriptome, we analyzed the GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment of the DEGs to elucidate the main functional pathways impacted by TA-1. TA-1 induced qualitatively transcriptional modifications in all replicates, with a substantial impact on following GO terms, i.e., response to external stimulus, membrane parts, cell periphery, and catalytic activity. Further, (we analyzed the KEGG enrichment of DEGs to elucidate the main functional pathways that TA-1 impacts). The most enriched pathways were plant-pathogen interaction, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. We also analyzed the KOG enrichment of DEGs. Most of the annotation was associated with functional groups in all treatments, which primarily pertained to signal transduction mechanisms, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, post-translational modification, protein turnover, and chaperones. These results highlight the qualitative transcriptional changes in peanut plants due to the application of the biocontrol agent, underscoring its potential impact on crop protection and enhancement.