Identification and Analysis of DUF506 Gene Family in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

Qing Song, Gideon Asare Aboagye, Ming Liu, Ying Lan, Minghong Hu, Yanbin Hong, Renfeng Wang, Miao Chen

Biomolecules; 2026 Feb 9; 16(2):270. doi: 10.3390/biom16020270.

Abstract

The Domain of Unknown Function 506 (DUF506) family, part of the PD-(D/E)XK nuclease superfamily, has been shown to play a vital role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. However, the function of the DUF506 family in cultivated peanuts remains unknown. This study identified 23 AhDUF506 genes using bioinformatics approaches; these genes are spread across 15 chromosomes and grouped into 4 subfamilies. Additionally, by analyzing gene structure, upstream cis-acting elements, and transcriptional expression changes of AhDUF506 genes in different tissues and under various stress conditions, their expression levels and response mechanisms to abiotic stresses were examined. In mature tissues, the expression levels of seven AhDUF506 genes in flowers were significantly higher than those in other tissues. Under abiotic stress, their expression levels were all up-regulated in the roots of peanut plant seedlings. These findings provide an important foundation for a deeper understanding of the molecular characteristics of the DUF506 family in Arachis hypogaea (peanut), supporting future research on the functional characterization of its genes.

See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41750338/

Figure 1: Chromosome density and chromosomal distribution of the AhDUF506 gene. The density of genes on chromosomes is shown by blue-white-spaced stripes, with denser blue indicating denser genes.