Post-transcriptional regulation of seed dormancy and germination: Current understanding and future directions

Abstract

Seed dormancy is a developmental checkpoint that prevents mature seeds from germinating under conditions that are otherwise favorable for germination. Temperature and light are the most relevant environmental factors that regulate seed dormancy and germination. These environmental cues can trigger molecular and physiological responses including hormone signaling, particularly that of abscisic acid and gibberellin. The balance between the content and sensitivity of these hormones is the key to the regulation of seed dormancy. Temperature and light tightly regulate the transcription of thousands of genes, as well as other aspects of gene expression such as mRNA splicing, translation, and stability. Chromatin remodeling determines specific transcriptional outputs, and alternative splicing leads to different outcomes and produces transcripts that encode proteins with altered or lost functions. Proper regulation of chromatin remodeling and alternative splicing may be highly relevant to seed germination. Moreover, microRNAs are also critical for the control of gene expression in seeds. This review aims to discuss recent updates on post-transcriptional regulation during seed maturation, dormancy, germination, and post-germination events. We propose future prospects for understanding how different post-transcriptional processes in crop seeds can contribute to the design of genotypes with better performance and higher productivity.

Machine Learning-Mediated Development and Optimization of Disinfection Protocol and Scarification Method for Improved In Vitro Germination of Cannabis Seeds

“…In vitro seed germination of cannabis has great potential to improve the efficiency of elite cultivar selection, pheno-hunting, phenotyping, and to support various in vitro culture methods as initial explant materials [5]. In orthodox seeds, germination typically initiates with the passive uptake of water by the dry mature seed, and terminates with radicle protrusion through the seed envelope [23]. Different abiotic factors (e.g., temperature, light, medium composition, sterilization procedures, and scarification) affect seed germination, mainly through regulating the signaling and metabolism pathways of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) [21].…”

“…Mature seed germination can sometimes be more difficult than immature seed germination due to the increase in the seed coat's impermeability and the accumulation of inhibitors during seed maturation [21]. Hence, dormancy breaking plays a critical role relating to the speed and frequency of seed germination due to morpho-physiological dormancy [22,23]. Although there are no reports on the effects of scarification on cannabis seed germination, the positive impact of dormancy breaking by scarification has previously been suggested in several plants, such as Limodorum [24], Salvia stenophylla [25], and legumes [22].…”

Functional Identification of 9-Cis-Epoxycarotenoid Dioxygenase Genes in Double Dormant Plant-Herbaceous Peony

“…ABA content was positively correlated with seed dormancy (Tognacca and Botto 2021). The nal concentration of endogenous ABA in plants depends on the dynamic balance of ABA synthesis and catabolism (Eggels, et al 2018;Yan, et al 2022).…”

OsNAC2 Is Involved in Multiple Hormonal Pathways to Mediate Germination of Rice Seeds and Establishment of Seedling

“…Among them, ABA and GA are reported to play the major roles. A major conclusion, since 1980s, is that ABA negatively regulates the germination of seeds, while GA promotes this event (Bewley, 1997;Nambara and Marion-Poll, 2005;Tognacca and Botto, 2021). Several components modulating the ABA and GA pathways in seeds have been identified in Arabidopsis and rice.…”