Waterworth, WM, Bray, CM and West, CE orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-0969 (2019) Seeds and the Art of Genome Maintenance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10. ARTN 706. ISSN 1664-462X
Abstract
Successful germination represents a crucial developmental transition in the plant lifecycle and is important both for crop yields and plant survival in natural ecosystems. However, germination potential decreases during storage and seed longevity is a key determinant of crop production. Decline in germination vigor is initially manifest as an increasing delay to radicle emergence and the completion of germination and eventually culminating in loss of seed viability. The molecular mechanisms that determine seed germination vigor and viability remain obscure, although deterioration in seed quality is associated with the accumulation of damage to cellular structures and macromolecules including lipids, protein, and nucleic acids. In desiccation tolerant seeds, desiccation/rehydration cycles and prolonged periods in the dry quiescent state are associated with remarkable levels of stress to the embryo genome which can result in mutagenesis of the genetic material, inhibition of transcription and replication and delayed growth and development. An increasing number of studies are revealing DNA damage accumulated in the embryo genome, and the repair capacity of the seed to reverse this damage, as major factors that determine seed vigor and viability. Recent findings are now establishing important roles for the DNA damage response in regulating germination, imposing a delay to germination in aged seed to minimize the deleterious consequences of DNA damage accumulated in the dry quiescent state. Understanding the mechanistic basis of seed longevity will underpin the directed improvement of crop varieties and support preservation of plant genetic resources in seed banks.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Waterworth, Bray and West. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | DNA repair; seeds; germination; priming; aging |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 311840 BBSRC BB/S002081/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2019 13:27 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2019 13:27 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Frontiers Media |
Identification Number: | 10.3389/fpls.2019.00706 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:147721 |