Pressure-driven flavor formation in rapeseed oil: an integrated multi-omics approach.

Multi-spectroscopy and molecular simulation reveal the interaction of oleic glycerolipids modified wheat dough induced by thermomechanical treatment.

Continuous-flow enzymatic reactor for medium- and long-chain triglycerides production: From process intensification to flavor retention.

Landscape-level oilseed rape cover shapes seasonal patterns of wild bee abundance in conservation areas

• ANOVA was used to determine optimal conditions for biodiesel production form rapeseed oil, butanol and dolomite. • Kinetic parameters indicated irreversible pseudo-first order reaction and were adapted to model kinetic reactor. • Purification steps were assessed to achieve quality biodiesel which adheres to EN 14214 standard. We analyzed the kinetic parameters of rapeseed oil transesterification with butanol using dolomite as a heterogeneous catalyst under the optimal conditions that we previously determined. At 5.24 wt% dolomite, 110 °C, and a 13.71:1 M ratio of butanol to oil, we found that the reaction followed an irreversible pseudo-first-order model, which we successfully implemented in an Aspen Plus simulation software to design the model of kinetic reactor. In addition, we proposed purification steps for the reactive mixture within the same model to produce biodiesel following requirements of standard EN 14214.

Pan-genomic analysis and abiotic stress expression of eight TPS gene families in Brassica napus.

Increasing global population demands the development of oilseed crops such as canola-type Brassica napus L. and soybean varieties with high protein and oil content, despite the known negative correlation between them. We hypothesized that reallocating seed carbon from cellulose, a major compound of fiber, to these storage compounds via fine-tuned gene stacking could achieve this dual goal. We tested this hypothesis in Arabidopsis thaliana with a three-pronged gene stacking approach: (1) down-regulation of Arabidopsis CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 1 with RNAi (AtCESA1-RNAi) to reduce cellulose content, (2) over-expression (OE) of native B. napus DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 (BnDGAT1) and a performance-enhanced variant BnDGAT1-L441P, respectively, to increase or maintain oil content, and (3) OE of protein biosynthesis-related genes, Arabidopsis AMINO ACID PERMEASE 1 (AtAAP1), ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE 1 (AtALAAT1), and ASPARAGINE SYNTHASE 1 (AtASN1), respectively, to increase seed protein content. The best line, AtCESA1-RNAi/BnDGAT1-L441P-OE/AtAAP1-OE, exhibited a relative increase of 19.5% in crude seed protein and 3.2% in total lipid content, and a 42.2% decrease in cellulose content compared to the empty vector control lines, alongside an 89% increase in seed yield. Collectively, the results demonstrate that fine-tuned gene stacking can mitigate the trade-offs between protein and oil accumulation for engineering high-value seed traits.

Desiccation tolerance in plants, especially during orthodox seed dehydration, relies on compatible solute accumulation, complex molecular mechanisms, and intermolecular organizations that remain poorly understood. We combined metabolite profiling, mass spectrometry imaging, and electrospray and cold-spray ionization mass spectrometry to investigate metabolite organization into natural deep eutectic solvent-like assemblies during oilseed rape seed dehydration. We show that sucrose colocalizes and interacts with organic and amino acids in seed tissues to form hydration-dependent, sucrose-centered assemblies, whose formation is promoted by water loss and reproduced in bioinspired artificial mixtures displaying NaDES-like physicochemical properties. These findings support the idea that seed metabolites, with sucrose as preferential matrix, organize into eutectic-like supramolecular networks during dehydration, suggesting a physicochemical basis for cytoplasmic stabilization in desiccation-tolerant seeds.

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas9 has been widely utilized for plant genome editing, but the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) requirement limits its editing scope. CRISPR/Cas12i3 belongs to the type-VI Cas system that has gained extensive attention due to its smaller size and less restricted canonical TTN PAM sequence. In this study, we explored the newly developed Cas-SF01 system (Cas12i3 variant) for genome editing in oilseed rape. We established an efficient protoplast transformation system in oilseed rape to compare editing efficiency between Cas-SF01 and Cas9. Cas-SF01 shows cleavage activities at the tested 5'-TTN-3' PAM sites with editing outcomes sharing considerable similarities with the CRISPR-Cas9 system in protoplast. Cas-SF01 also induces high efficiency mutagenesis for multiple target sites in stable transformed oilseed rape lines, generating mutants with multilocular silique and male sterile phenotypes. Furthermore, Cas-SF01-derived cytosine base editors (CBEs) were developed to produce targeted C-to-T base edits. Compared to SpCas9, Cas-SF01 has an expanded PAM range and effectively recognizes TTN PAMs, which has substantially broadened the scope of editable sites within the rapeseed genome. No mutations were identified at the putative off-target sites among the edited plants. This study developed a robust, first-of-its-kind Cas12 system in the allotetraploid Brassica napus, expanding the scope of editing and enriching genome-editing toolkits for biological research and genetic improvement.

Nano-Calcium Enhances Drought Tolerance by Regulating Photosynthesis and Amino Acid Metabolism In Brassica napus

Nervonic acid (NA), a very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid, is known for its benefits in treating neurological diseases and promoting brain health. In this study, we utilized two different receptors, Brassica juncea (B. juncea, rich in erucic acid, C22:1) and Brassica napus (B. napus, high in oleic acid, C18:1), to overproduce NA through systematic metabolic engineering. Two multi-gene vector constructs, Napin-3 and Napin-5 (CgKCS::SLC1-1::DGAT1; CgKCS::SLC1-1::BnFAE1::LdLPAAT::DGAT1), are driven by seed-specific napin promoters. In B. juncea, Napin-3 and Napin-5 expression elevated NA levels to 48.7% and 46.3% in seed oil, respectively, compared to 2.5% in wild types. In B. napus, Napin-3 and Napin-5 expression achieved NA levels of 45% and 39.6%, respectively, while NA is absent in wild types. To our knowledge, this represents the highest NA production in plants to date, with stable oil content and yield, enabling cost-effective NA production. In B. juncea, a significant increase in NA is observed alongside a decrease in C18:1, C20:1, and C22:1 levels; in B. napus, the rise in NA is accompanied by a decrease in C18:1, and an increase in C20:1 and C22:1. These patterns reflect the dynamic equilibrium of fatty acids following NA conversion, influenced by the Dynamic Substrate Tugging (DST) Mechanism, in the form of either an EA-tugging mode or C18:1-tugging mode mechanism, depending on the cellular context. NA is an elongation product derived from C18:1, catalyzed by CgKCS with broad substrate specificity, indicating that plants with high levels of C18:1, similarly to those rich in C22:1, serve as excellent candidates for NA production. This "green factory" for NA production provides strong support for its pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and industrial applications. The exogenous and the endogenous enzymes coordinate function remodeling of the intra-seed fatty acid elongation flux through the DST strategy, thereby systematically enhancing the synthesis and accumulation efficiency of the target fatty acid.

Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive pest of canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus, Brassica juncea Linnaeus, Brassica rapa Linnaeus) and other Brassicaceae crops that causes significant damage in eastern North America. Contarinia nasturtii has the potential to invade the Canadian Prairies, which represents North America’s largest canola growing region. This study examined host plant range, female oviposition preference, and larval development of C. nasturtii on selected weed, cultivated, and model Brassicaceae species. We also examined potential host plant resistance using a diverse panel of B. napus lines and developed a novel measure of larval performance using the proportion of third instar larvae as a proxy for larval development. All tested weed species, except Descurainia sophia Linnaeus, supported C. nasturtii development and 5 new host plants (Lepidium densiflorum Schrad., Neslia paniculata (Linnaeus) Desv., Diplotaxis muralis (Linnaeus) DC., Camelina sativa (Linnaeus) Crantz, and Erysimum cheiranthoides Linnaeus) were identified. Notably, we provide the first evidence that Arabidopsis thaliana Linnaeus can be a host for C. nasturtii, establishing a novel model system for gall midge–plant interaction studies. Evaluation of B. napus lines found slight variation in oviposition but no strong resistance, suggesting the need to investigate resistance sources outside of B. napus. These findings expand our knowledge on the host range of C. nasturtii, introduce A. thaliana as a tractable experimental model system, and underscore the need for investigation of host plant resistance and the development of integrated pest management strategies for C. nasturtii to mitigate threats to North American canola production.

Abstract Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oil crops worldwide. In our previous work, we generated a high-throughput CRISPR library whereby a knockout collection was established for rapeseed breeding and functional genomics. However, the collection remains small and several promising candidate genes still await functional validation. Here, we report an update of this collection by constructing a small-scale CRISPR mutant library based on the elite commercial cultivar Zhongshuang 11 (ZS11). We first generated 326 independent T0 lines using an optimized protocol for ZS11 transformation and regeneration with a high positive rate of 94.2%. Analysis of the editing outcomes revealed a mutagenesis frequency of 68.4%. We then phenotyped this new collection and unraveled possible key genes underlying the variations in seed oil content (SOC) and plant height. Finally, we functionally validated BnFAB1B and BnEDA32, two candidate genes identified from our knockout collection. The results confirmed that loss-of-function of BnFAB1B significantly increases SOC, indicating its great agronomic potential, whereas knockout of the nuclear-localized BnEDA32 severely disrupts seed oil accumulation. This study provides a valuable knockout collection of the elite cultivar ZS11 and new genes for creating superior rapeseed germplasm.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of carotenoid-biofortified Pexeso wheat compared with those of common Tercie wheat on performance characteristics, nutrient retention, and tissue antioxidant concentrations in broiler chickens. A total of 180 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 2 dietary treatments (i.e., Tercie vs. Pexeso), with 6 replicate pens and 15 chicks per pen. Pexeso wheat, characterized by increased lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations, in combination with rapeseed oil as the primary dietary fat source, significantly improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR; p < 0.001), despite not affecting the body weight of the chickens at 35 days of age or feed intake. This improved efficiency was consistent with the significantly increased retention of crude protein (p = 0.004). Specifically, the concentrations of γ-tocopherol (p = 0.006) and lutein (p = 0.004) in the breast meat and γ-tocopherol (p = 0.047), lutein (p < 0.001), and zeaxanthin (p < 0.001) in the liver significantly increased in the Pexeso group. This accumulation was supported by the significantly greater retention of these antioxidants (p = 0.008, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, the inclusion of carotenoid-biofortified Pexeso wheat effectively improved the FCR and enhanced the antioxidant profile of chicken tissues. These findings suggest that Pexeso wheat represents a viable strategy for improving nutrient utilization and the nutritional quality of poultry meat.

The synaptonemal complex (SC) is essential for accurate homologous chromosome pairing, recombination, and segregation during meiosis. Although several core SC components have been identified in plants, the molecular mechanism coordinating their assembly remains poorly understood. Here, through a refined temporal transcriptomic analysis of another development in the allotetraploid Brassica napus, this study identifies ZYP1-SCEP1/2 Linker (ZSL) as a central element scaffold that bridges the transverse filament protein ZYP1 with the heterodimeric central element proteins SCEP1/2. It is shown that ZYP1 loading onto chromosomes occurs independently of ZSL and SCEP1/2, whereas ZYP1 is required for their recruitment. Loss of ZSL impedes SCEP1/2 recruitment but not vice versa, and zsl mutants completely lack continuous SC central region assembly, leading to synapsis failure and chromosome mis-segregation. This study further demonstrates that ZSL directly interacts with both ZYP1 and SCEP1/2. These findings define a hierarchical assembly cascade of ZYP1 → ZSL → SCEP1/2 during SC formation. Furthermore, analysis of HEI10 foci and genome-wide crossover (CO) mapping in zsl mutants reveals an ≈100% increase in both male and female COs, accompanied by a loss of interference and elimination of sex-specific CO differences. Together, the results establish ZSL as a key molecular adaptor coordinating SC central region assembly and CO patterning, providing new mechanistic insight into meiotic fidelity and genome stability in polyploid species.

This study constructs an immobilized phospholipase system based on mesoporous silicon-based Janus microspheres and validates its exceptional performance in efficient interfacial biocatalysis. This system employs a Janus nanocarrier (HMSS-NH2-C8-Janus). The carrier was functionalized via a Pickering emulsion strategy, which grafted hydrophilic amino groups and hydrophobic octyl groups onto opposite hemispheres. This well-designed amphiphilicity not only facilitates effective immobilization of phospholipase B (PLB) but, more importantly, enables the resulting PLB@HMSS-NH2-C8-Janus to act as an excellent stabilizer for Pickering emulsions. Within this emulsion system, the biocatalyst spontaneously anchors at the oil-water interface, forming a dense, high activity monolayer that optimally orients the enzyme for substrate interaction. When applied to the model reaction of enzymatic degumming of rapeseed oil, the system achieved a degumming efficiency of 96.6% and a 99% oil recovery. At the same time, the residual phosphorus content after degumming in this system was 1.8-2.3 times lower than that of free PLB and homogeneous carrier immobilized enzyme. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent reusability and achieved a 96% degumming efficiency after five consecutive cycles. This work elucidates the rational design of amphiphilic Janus materials for efficient interfacial biocatalysis in oil-processing applications.

A single nucleotide substitution in BnaC02.LBD6 promoter causes blade shape variation in Brassica napus

Brassica napus is one of the most important oilseed crops worldwide and improving its oil content is a key research focus. The transcription factor (TF) BnMYB96 was found to be upregulated during oil accumulation under drought conditions, but the molecular regulation pathway remains unclear. Here, a cDNA library was constructed in a B. napus line with high oil content. BnLEA4 was first screened using BnMYB96 as bait, which was confirmed by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), and pull-down assays. BnMYB96 can interact with BnLEA4 and regulate downstream BnLTP2, as confirmed by yeast one-hybrid (Y1H), dual-luciferase reporter (LUC) assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and β-glucuronidase (GUS) assay. Overexpression of BnMYB96 and BnLTP2 increased oil content and drought resistance through photosynthetic physiological processes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism. In contrast, opposite trends were observed in the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines. Hybrids (six-line crosses) between the two genes (BnMYB96 and BnLTP2) with increased or reduced expression showed stronger trends in drought tolerance and lipid accumulation. Single-cell and bulk transcriptome sequencing analyses showed that genes involved in carbon fixation and fatty acid (FA) synthesis in photosynthetic organisms were upregulated by BnMYB96 and BnLTP2, enhancing photosynthesis and FA synthesis. This study elucidates the BnLEA4-BnMYB96-BnLTP2 regulatory pathway that coordinates oil accumulation and drought resistance in B. napus. These findings provide a theoretical basis for improving the drought resistance and oil content of plants.

Construction of stearamide-grafted cellulose nanocrystals as high-efficiency green lubricating additive for rapeseed oil.

Most herbivores are specialised on particular host plants but some are generalists that can exploit distinct hosts. Generalists may have evolved adaptive transcriptional plasticity to cope with the defences of the different hosts. However, the fundamental differences in plant-induced transcriptional plasticity between generalists and specialists remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated transcriptional plasticity of the generalist aphid Myzus persicae and two specialist aphids, Brevicoryne brassicae and Rhopalosiphum padi, by transferring them between Brassica napus (a host for B. brassicae but not for R. padi) and Zea mays (a host for R. padi but not for B. brassicae), both suitable hosts for M. persicae. Generalist and specialist aphids exhibited transcriptional plasticity coordinately in response to different plant species, but their gene expression patterns often diverged. Generalist aphids attenuate the activation or even suppress salicylic acid (SA) signalling in host plants, whereas specialist aphids provoke it in nonhost plants. SA signalling had limited effects on gene expression in the generalist aphids, but significantly shaped transcriptional responses of the specialists. These findings underscore the fundamental differences in plant-induced transcriptional plasticity between generalists and specialists and highlight the critical role of plasticity directionality in insect adaptation.