High cadmium (Cd) stress causes phytotoxicity, inhibits plant growth, and alters gene expression and metabolite profiles. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying peanut responses to elevated Cd levels remain insufficiently understood. In this study, integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were conducted to investigate the responses of peanut roots to high Cd stress. Cd exposure significantly inhibited root growth and disrupted antioxidant enzyme systems in both roots and leaves. High Cd stress also altered ion uptake and transport in peanut plants. Transcriptome analysis identified 4,248 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were mainly associated with antioxidant enzymes, ion transport, and hormone-related processes. Metabolomic analysis identified 1,048 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs). Under high Cd stress, the ABC transporter and plant hormone signal transduction pathways were significantly enriched. Key genes, including members of the ABCG subfamily, PP2C, and DELLA, showed differential expression and contributed to oxidative stress regulation. The response of peanut roots to Cd stress may involve coordinated changes in ion transport, antioxidant metabolism and hormone signal regulation. This study has proposed a multi-omics regulatory framework for the response of peanut roots to cadmium stress, providing potential candidate targets and theoretical basis for subsequent functional validation and research on cadmium tolerance-related mechanisms.
Feng et al. (2026) studied this question.