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Exogenous melatonin mitigates vanadium toxicity in Brassica napus L.: a transcriptomic perspective
Latif Ullah Khan1, Sana Basharat1, Muhammad Umer1
1School of Breeding and Multiplication, Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication/School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Sanya, Hainan, 572025, China.
BMC Plant Biology
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Melatonin (MT) alleviates vanadium (V) toxicity in Brassica napus by enhancing antioxidant defenses and protecting photosynthesis. This study reveals MT
Area of Science:
- Plant Science
- Biochemistry
- Genomics
Background:
- Brassica napus L. is a vital oil crop susceptible to abiotic stresses like heavy metal contamination.
- Vanadium (V) toxicity severely impacts plant growth, photosynthesis, and induces oxidative stress.
- Melatonin (MT) is a plant molecule known for enhancing stress tolerance, but its role in V-induced toxicity in B. napus is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physiological and transcriptomic effects of melatonin in mitigating vanadium toxicity in Brassica napus.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying melatonin's protective role against heavy metal stress.
Main Methods:
- Brassica napus seedlings were treated with control, melatonin (MT), vanadium (V), and MT+V.
- Physiological parameters including growth, chlorophyll content, and oxidative damage were assessed.
- Transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq), Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed.
Main Results:
- Vanadium stress significantly inhibited growth, photosynthesis, and water status while increasing oxidative damage.
- Melatonin treatment alleviated V-induced phytotoxicity, improved growth, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activities.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed differential gene expression in stress response, antioxidant regulation, photosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways.
- WGCNA identified key gene modules associated with MT-mediated stress responses, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism.
Conclusions:
- Melatonin effectively alleviates vanadium toxicity in Brassica napus through integrated physiological and transcriptomic regulation.
- MT enhances antioxidant defense, protects photosynthesis, and modulates stress-responsive metabolic pathways.
- This research provides insights into MT's molecular mechanisms for heavy metal stress tolerance, suggesting its potential application for improving crop resilience.
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