Abstract
Cucumber seeds with shallow dormancy start to germinate in fruit that are harvested late. ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3), a transcription factor in the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway, is one of the most important regulators in the transition from late embryogenesis to germination. Our analysis found a candidate cis-regulatory motif for cucumber BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (CsBPC) in the promoter of CsABI3. Yeast one-hybrid and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that CsBPCs bound to the promoter of CsABI3. Examination of β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity driven by the CsABI3 promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing CsBPCs and a Nicotiana benthamiana (tobacco) luciferase assay indicated that CsBPCs inhibited the expression of CsABI3. Transgenic plants overexpressing CsBPCs were constructed to confirm that CsBPCs participates in the control of seed germination. This study of the cucumber BPC-ABI3 pathway will help to explore and characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying seed germination and will provide necessary information for seed conservation in agriculture and forestry.
Highlights
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), grown worldwide, is a model species of the Cucurbitaceae family
We found that seeds of the Arabidopsis quadruple mutant bpc1-1 bpc2 bpc4 bpc6 exhibited decreased germination rates (Figure 1A)
We investigated if cucumber cis-regulatory motif for cucumber BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (CsBPC) can rescue the late germination phenotype of the Arabidopsis quadruple mutant bpc1-1 bpc2 bpc4 bpc6
Summary
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), grown worldwide, is a model species of the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucumber is a typical example of fruit with shallow dormancy. Cucumber seeds start to germinate inside the fruit, known as pre-harvest sprouting or vivipary, severely damaging the seed quantity and quality. Seeds undergo a period of dormancy until the proper environment for survival is present. Primary dormancy is generally used to describe an intact freshly-harvested viable seed that cannot germinate in favorable conditions (Bewley, 1997). The breaking of seed dormancy to establish seedling growth is a critical step in the life of seed plants. The regulation of this developmental transition is necessary for plant survival and important for agriculture and forestry; the regulatory mechanism underlying remains elusive
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