Long-term high temperatures affect seed maturation and seed coat integrity in Brassica napus

Abstract

Temperatures above the optimum growth threshold affect seed development, accelerating embryo development and producing seeds with ruptured seed coats. However, the underlying mechanisms of this effect remain unclear. To investigate temperature-induced seed coat rupture, we used a multidisciplinary approach combining detailed phenotyping, transcriptomics, histology, immunolabelling, cell wall profiling and nanoindentationbased mechanics of the seed coat in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Our data reveal that high temperatures accelerate embryo growth, resulting in larger embryos without a compensatory increase in overall seed size. This rapid embryo expansion may exert elevated mechanical stress on the seed coat cells, significantly thinning the seed coat layers. Concurrently, prolonged exposure to high temperatures drives premature biochemical maturation of the seed coat, characterized by accumulation of demethylesterified pectin. Nanoindentation analysis demonstrated that these changes may have compromised the structural integrity of seed coat cell walls. Ultimately, the weakened seed coat may not withstand the internal tension imposed by the fast-growing embryo, leading to seed coat rupture and reduced seed quality. Our work on seed maturation and the mechanism of heatinduced seed coat rupture provides valuable insights for future research into breeding thermotolerant Brassica napus, crucial in the context of a changing climate.

Long-read genome assembly of high-erucic-acid Brassica napus reveals candidate structural variants in fatty acid metabolism genes
Mamta Masand, Rajbir Kaur, Mohammed Musthafa Mukthar +6
BMC Genomics15 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Molecular biology & gene regulationCrossref
The Molecular Mechanisms of Cold Tolerance in Brassica napus
Weiqi Luo, Yan Zhou, Jinyu Shen +5
International Journal of Molecular Sciences5 Nov 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0General biochemistryCrossref
Long-read methylome profiling reveals context-specific epigenetic responses of Brassica napus to Verticillium longisporum.
Gursimran Kaur, Mamta Masand, Claudio Stasolla +2
BMC plant biology6 Aug 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMolecular biology & gene regulationEurope PMC
Identification of Candidate MYB Regulators of Seed Coat Color and Oil Content in Brassica napus
Liwei Zheng, Xu Gao, Fan Wang +6
International Journal of Molecular Sciences1 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMolecular biology & gene regulationCrossrefEurope PMC
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the UMAMIT Gene Family in Brassica napus: Evolution, Expression, and Potential Association with Oil Content.
Dan He, Tong Wang, Tongxiang Zhang +4
International journal of molecular sciences26 Sep 2026Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textMolecular biology & gene regulationEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{prabhullachandran2026longterm,
  title = {{Long-term high temperatures affect seed maturation and seed coat integrity in Brassica napus}},
  author = {Unnikannan Prabhullachandran and Ivana Urbánková and Alejandro Medaglia-Mata and Audrey Creff and Aline Voxeur and Vilma Buršíková and Benoit Landrein and Jan Hejátko and Hélène S Robert},
  journal = {Plant stress},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1016/j.stress.2026.101541},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05775550v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Long-term high temperatures affect seed maturation and seed coat integrity in Brassica napus
AU  - Unnikannan Prabhullachandran
AU  - Ivana Urbánková
AU  - Alejandro Medaglia-Mata
AU  - Audrey Creff
AU  - Aline Voxeur
AU  - Vilma Buršíková
AU  - Benoit Landrein
AU  - Jan Hejátko
AU  - Hélène S Robert
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Plant stress
DO  - 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101541
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05775550v1
AB  - Temperatures above the optimum growth threshold affect seed development, accelerating embryo development and producing seeds with ruptured seed coats. However, the underlying mechanisms of this effect remain unclear. To investigate temperature-induced seed coat rupture, we used a multidisciplinary approach combining detailed phenotyping, transcriptomics, histology, immunolabelling, cell wall profiling and nanoindentationbased mechanics of the seed coat in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Our data reveal that high temperatures accelerate embryo growth, resulting in larger embryos without a compensatory increase in overall seed size. This rapid embryo expansion may exert elevated mechanical stress on the seed coat cells, significantly thinning the seed coat layers. Concurrently, prolonged exposure to high temperatures drives premature biochemical maturation of the seed coat, characterized by accumulation of demethylesterified pectin. Nanoindentation analysis demonstrated that these changes may have compromised the structural integrity of seed coat cell walls. Ultimately, the weakened seed coat may not withstand the internal tension imposed by the fast-growing embryo, leading to seed coat rupture and reduced seed quality. Our work on seed maturation and the mechanism of heatinduced seed coat rupture provides valuable insights for future research into breeding thermotolerant Brassica napus, crucial in the context of a changing climate.
SN  - 2667-064X
SN  - 2667-064X
ER  -

Abstract

Related

Cite