Chalazal seed coat development in Brassica napus

We found that the CZSC contains terminating ends of xylem and phloem as well as a mosaic of endomembrane and plasmodesmatal connections, suggesting that this subregion is likely involved in the transport of material and information from the maternal tissues of the plant to other regions of the seed. Laser microdissection coupled with quantitative RT-PCR identified the relative abundance of sugar, water, auxin and amino acid transporter homologs inherited from the constituent genomes of this complex polyploid. We also studied the expression of three transcription factors that were shown to co-express with these biological processes providing a preliminary framework for the regulatory networks responsible for seed filling in canola and discuss the relationship of the CZSC to other regions and subregions of the seed and its role in seed development.