Multiomics analysis of kernel development in response to short-term heat stress at the grain formation stage in waxy maize

Understanding the adaptive changes in maize kernels under high-temperature stress during grain formation stage is critical for developing strategies to alleviate the negative effects on yield and quality. In this study, we subjected waxy maize (Zea mays L. sinensis Kulesh) to four different temperature regimes from 1-15 d after pollination (DAP), namely normal day/normal night (control), hot day/normal night, normal day/hot night, and hot day/hot night. Compared to the control, the three high-temperature treatments inhibited kernel development and starch deposition. To understand how the kernels responded to high-temperature stress, their transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes were studied at 10 DAP and 25 DAP. This showed that genes and proteins related to kernel development and starch deposition were up- and down-regulated, respectively, at 10 DAP, but this pattern was reversed at 25 DAP. Metabolome profiling under high-temperature stress showed that the accumulation patterns of metabolites at 10 DAP and 25 DAP were inversely related. Our multiomics analyses indicated that the response to high-temperature stress of signaling pathways mediated by auxin, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid was more active at 10 DAP than at 25 DAP. These results confirmed that high-temperature stress during early kernel development has a carry-over effect on later development. Taken together, our multiomics profiles of developing kernels under high-temperature stress provide insights into the processes that underlie maize yield and quality under high-temperature conditions.