Dynamic N 6 -methyladenosine RNA modification regulates peanut resistance to bacterial wilt.

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) is the most abundant mRNA modification in eukaryotes and is an important regulator of gene expression as well as many other critical biological processes. However, the characteristics and functions of m 6 A in peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) resistance to bacterial wilt (BW) remain unknown. Here, we analyzed the dynamic of m 6 A during infection of resistant (H108) and susceptible (H107) peanut accessions with Ralstonia solanacearum (R. solanacearum), the causative agent of BW. Throughout the transcriptome, we identified 'URUAY' as a highly conserved motif for m 6 A in peanut. The majority of differential m 6 A located within the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the transcript, with fewer in the exons. Integrative analysis of RNA-Seq and m 6 A methylomes suggests the correlation between m 6 A and gene expression in peanut R. solanacearum infection, and functional analysis reveals that m 6 A-associated genes were related to plant-pathogen interaction. Our experimental analysis suggests that AhALKBH15 is an m 6 A demethylase in peanut, leading to decreased m 6 A levels and upregulation of the resistance gene AhCQ2G6Y. The upregulation of AhCQ2G6Y expression appears to promote BW resistance in the H108 accession.