Open Access

ARTICLE

Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Key Transcriptional Responses to Prolonged Heat Stress in Chinese Cabbage

Jongwon Park^1,#, Jinhyoung Lee^2,#, Gunhee Lee¹, Eunji Lee¹, Jiwoo Kim¹, Seunghwan Wi², Tae-Cheol Seo², Seonghoe Jang^1,*

1 World Vegetable Center Korea Office, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, Republic of Korea
2 Vegetable Research Division, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, Republic of Korea

* Corresponding Author: Seonghoe Jang. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(6), 11 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.082849

Received 24 March 2026; Accepted 07 May 2026; Issue published 29 June 2026

Abstract

Heat stress severely impairs plant growth and productivity, particularly in cool-season crops such as Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis). While short-term heat responses have been extensively studied, the mechanisms underlying prolonged heat stress adaptation remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we conducted an integrative analysis of Chinese cabbage exposed to sustained high temperatures. Our approach combined physiological characterization, antioxidant profiling, and transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis to dissect long-term heat stress responses. Prolonged heat stress caused marked growth inhibition, including leaf chlorosis and a 39% reduction in leaf length by day 9. Biochemical analyses revealed a progressive accumulation of ROS, indicated by elevated MDA content, while increased SOD and APX activities reflected active antioxidant responses. Transcriptome analysis identified over 10,000 DEGs at both 2 and 5 days, reflecting dynamic transcriptional reprogramming. GO and KEGG enrichment highlighted a temporal shift from RNA modification to protein synthesis pathways. Six transcription factors, including BrHSF B-1, BrNAC13, and BrbZIP43, were strongly induced, suggesting roles as early and persistent stress responders. Together, our findings offer a comprehensive, time-resolved view of B. rapa responses to prolonged heat stress and offer potential molecular targets for enhancing thermotolerance in Brassica breeding programs.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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