Abstract
Orthodox seeds are living organisms that survive anhydrobiosis and may display dormancy, an inability to germinate at harvest. Seed germination potential can be acquired during a prolonged period of dry storage called after-ripening. The aim of this work was to determine if gene transcription is an underlying regulatory mechanism for dormancy alleviation during after-ripening. To identify changes in gene transcription strictly associated with the acquisition of germination potential but not with storage, we used seed storage at low relative humidity that maintains dormancy as control. Transcriptome profiling was performed using DNA microarray to compare change in gene transcript abundance between dormant (D), after-ripened non-dormant (ND) and after-ripened dormant seeds (control, C). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to confirm gene expression. Comparison between D and ND showed the differential expression of 115 probesets at cut-off values of two-fold change (p<0.05). Comparisons between both D and C with ND in transcript abundance showed that only 13 transcripts, among 115, could be specific to dormancy alleviation. qPCR confirms the expression pattern of these transcripts but without significant variation between conditions. Here we show that sunflower seed dormancy alleviation in the dry state is not related to regulated changes in gene expression.
Highlights
Seeds contribute to the survival and persistence of domesticated and non-domesticated plants in managed and natural ecosystems
In order to bring the first lines of evidence to this unsolved biological question, we have investigated the transcriptomic changes that are likely to occur in dormant dry sunflower seeds (MC close to 0.040 g H2O g DW21) and after their storage under 2 relative humidity (RH) regimes, one allowing dormancy alleviation and the other not (60 and 5 % RH, respectively)
Comparison between D and C samples showed differential abundance of 145 genes (126 less abundant in C and 19 less abundant in D, Table S1). These results show that seed storage was associated with variation in gene expression corresponding mainly to a decrease in transcript abundance
Summary
Seeds contribute to the survival and persistence of domesticated and non-domesticated plants in managed and natural ecosystems. In order to bring the first lines of evidence to this unsolved biological question, we have investigated the transcriptomic changes that are likely to occur in dormant dry sunflower seeds (MC close to 0.040 g H2O g DW21) and after their storage under 2 relative humidity (RH) regimes, one allowing dormancy alleviation and the other not (60 and 5 % RH, respectively). Such experimental design allows differentiating between change in gene expression associated with the achievement of germination capacity and those associated with storage only
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