Whitehead scientists map active genes in developing seeds

By AI, Created 6:45 PM UTC, May 19, 2026, /AGP/ – Researchers at Whitehead Institute built a high-resolution gene expression atlas of Arabidopsis seed development, identifying specialized cell types and hormone activity that help shape seed size and nutrient storage. The findings could help scientists design crops that better withstand heat, drought and other stress.

Why it matters: - Seeds drive most of the world’s daily calories, but many of the basic processes that control seed growth and nutrient storage are still poorly understood. - Better maps of seed development could help researchers improve traits tied to crop resilience, including seed size, nutrient accumulation and stress tolerance. - The work may help scientists better understand how crops respond to heat stress, drought and changing soil conditions.

What happened: - Researchers in Mary Gehring’s lab at Whitehead Institute created a detailed gene expression atlas of developing Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. - The work was published in Nature Plants. - Arabidopsis is a small flowering plant used widely in plant biology and is closely related to major crops such as canola. - Caroline Martin, a graduate student in the Gehring Lab, led the study.

The details: - The atlas shows which genes are turned on or off in different seed cell types as development progresses. - The dataset captures three precisely timed stages after pollination. - The stages cover the embryo, the endosperm that feeds it, and surrounding maternal tissues as they rapidly grow and reorganize. - The new atlas gives a more complete and higher-resolution view than earlier Arabidopsis atlases, which could not distinguish many cell types because of technological limits. - The researchers identified where genes involved in seed growth and nutrient storage are active. - A small group of cells near the embryo activates genes involved in making brassinosteroids, plant hormones that regulate growth. - Earlier studies showed that disrupting brassinosteroid production can reduce seed size, but the hormone’s production site in the developing seed was unclear. - The hormone-producing cells sit next to endosperm cells that may respond to the hormone. - That arrangement suggests the two cell types may work together to fine-tune seed size. - The atlas also shows that the endosperm contains more specialized cell types than researchers previously understood. - The team identified a small founder population of cells that may help establish a key endosperm region at the boundary where nutrients enter the seed from the mother plant. - The amount and timing of resources supplied by the mother plant affect how much energy the seed can store. - Those reserves include oils, starches and proteins, which are essential for both seed development and human nutrition. - More information

Between the lines: - The atlas gives researchers a framework for asking more precise questions about how seeds develop. - The findings suggest that seed size and nutrient storage are controlled by highly localized cell interactions rather than broad, uniform activity across the seed. - Gehring said understanding how seeds form, store nutrients and survive environmental stress is necessary to address food insecurity and malnutrition.

What’s next: - Researchers can use the atlas to study how specific seed cell types influence crop traits in other plants. - The map could help guide future efforts to improve seed filling and nutrient storage under heat stress and other environmental pressures. - The broader goal is to translate basic seed biology into hardier, more productive crops.