Two Faces of One Seed: Hormonal Regulation of Dormancy and Germination

Published Date

4 January 2016, Vol.9(1):34–45, doi:10.1016/j.molp.2015.08.010

Plant Hormones

Review Article

Title 

Two Faces of One Seed: Hormonal Regulation of Dormancy and Germination

• Author 

• Kai Shu ^1,3,5
• Xiao-dong Liu ^2,4,5
• Qi Xie ^1,,
• Zu-hua He ^2,,

• 1State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
• 2National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
• 3Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest China, Institute of Ecological Agriculture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
• 4College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830052, China

Received 18 June 2015. Revised 10 August 2015. Accepted 13 August 2015. Available online 5 September 2015. Published: September 4, 2015

Abstract
Seed plants have evolved to maintain the dormancy of freshly matured seeds until the appropriate time for germination. Seed dormancy and germination are distinct physiological processes, and the transition from dormancy to germination is not only a critical developmental step in the life cycle of plants but is also important for agricultural production. These processes are precisely regulated by diverse endogenous hormones and environmental cues. Although ABA (abscisic acid) and GAs (gibberellins) are known to be the primary phytohormones that antagonistically regulate seed dormancy, recent findings demonstrate that another phytohormone, auxin, is also critical for inducing and maintaining seed dormancy, and therefore might act as a key protector of seed dormancy. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the sophisticated molecular networks involving the critical roles of phytohormones in regulating seed dormancy and germination, in which AP2-domain-containing transcription factors play key roles. We also discuss the interactions (crosstalk) of diverse hormonal signals in seed dormancy and germination, focusing on the ABA/GA balance that constitutes the central node.

Keywords

seed dormancy

germination

ABA

GA

auxin

crosstalk

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• Published by the Molecular Plant Shanghai Editorial Office in association with Cell Press, an imprint of Elsevier Inc., on behalf of CSPB and IPPE, SIBS, CAS.

• ∗ 
  Corresponding author
• ∗∗ 
  Corresponding author

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