Taylor, R.E., Waterworth, W., West, C.E. orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-0969 et al. (1 more author) (2023) WHIRLY proteins maintain seed longevity by effects on seed oxygen signalling during imbibition. Biochemical Journal, 480 (13). pp. 941-956. ISSN 0264-6021
Abstract
The WHIRLY (WHY) family of DNA/RNA binding proteins fulfil multiple but poorly characterised functions in plants. We analysed WHY protein functions in the Arabidopsis Atwhy1, Atwhy3, Atwhy1why3 single and double mutants and wild type controls. The Atwhy3 and Atwhy1why3 double mutants showed a significant delay in flowering, having more siliques per plant but with fewer seeds per silique than the wild type. While germination was similar in the unaged high-quality seeds of all lines, significant decreases in vigour and viability were observed in the aged mutant seeds compared with the wild type. Imbibition of unaged high-quality seeds was characterised by large increases in transcripts that encode proteins involved in oxygen sensing and responses to hypoxia. Seed aging resulted in a disruption of the imbibition-induced transcriptome profile such that transcripts encoding RNA metabolism and processing became the most abundant components of the imbibition signature. The imbibition-related profile of the Atwhy1why3 mutant seeds, was characterised by decreased expression of hypoxia-related and oxygen metabolism genes even in the absence of aging. Seed aging further decreased the abundance of hypoxia-related and oxygen metabolism transcripts relative to the wild type. These findings suggest that the WHY1 and WHY3 proteins regulate the imbibition-induced responses to oxygen availability and hypoxia. Loss of WHY1 and WHY3 functions decreases the ability of Arabidopsis seeds to resist the adverse effects of seed aging.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY). |
Keywords: | ageing, climate change, germination, heat shock proteins, longevity, seeds |
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) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Jul 2023 09:08 |
Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2023 09:08 |
Published Version: | https://portlandpress.com/biochemj/article/480/13/... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Portland Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1042/bcj20230008 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:201497 |