EN
The 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is thought to be the rate-limiting enzyme in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic pathway. In this study, transient expression of AhNCED1 and ABA distribution were detected in the vascular cambium of a drought-tolerant peanut cultivar (Yueyou 7) under a water stress treatment. It caused increases in ABA content in this region. The synthesis of ABA and AhNCED1 in the leaves of Yueyou 7 took place more quickly than in the control cultivar (Shanyou 523). Furthermore, AhNCED1 mRNA and proteins were induced in Yueyou 7 than in Shanyou 523, coinciding with greater ABA accumulation. During the seedling, blooming, and fruiting stages, AhNCED1 protein expression was higher in Yueyou 7 than in Shanyou 523, and it was induced more quickly when the plants were under water stress. These data suggest that the drought-tolerant cultivar can synthesize and distribute ABA more rapidly than does the control cultivar because of a high level of AhNCED1 expression, which then modulates physiological responses under water stress conditions.