Abstract
BackgroundSinapic acid and its esters have broad functions in different stages of seed germination and plant development and are thought to play a role in protecting against ultraviolet irradiation. To better understand the interactions between sinapic acid esters and seed germination processes in response to various stresses, we analyzed the role of the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in the regulation of sinapic acid esters involved in seed germination and early seedling growth.ResultsWe found that exogenous sinapic acid promotes seed germination in a dose-dependent manner in Arabidopsis thaliana. High-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis showed that exogenous sinapic acid increased the sinapoylcholine content of imbibed seeds. Furthermore, sinapic acid affected ABA catabolism, resulting in reduced ABA levels and increased levels of the ABA-glucose ester. Using mutants deficient in the synthesis of sinapate esters, we showed that the germination of mutant sinapoylglucose accumulator 2 (sng2) and bright trichomes 1 (brt1) seeds was more sensitive to ABA than the wild-type. Moreover, Arabidopsis mutants deficient in either abscisic acid deficient 2 (ABA2) or abscisic acid insensitive 3 (ABI3) displayed increased expression of the sinapoylglucose:choline sinapoyltransferase (SCT) and sinapoylcholine esterase (SCE) genes with sinapic acid treatment. This treatment also affected the accumulation of sinapoylcholine and free choline during seed germination.ConclusionsWe demonstrated that sinapoylcholine, which constitutes the major phenolic component in seeds among various minor sinapate esters, affected ABA homeostasis during seed germination and early seedling growth in Arabidopsis. Our findings provide insights into the role of sinapic acid and its esters in regulating ABA-mediated inhibition of Arabidopsis seed germination in response to drought stress.
Highlights
Sinapic acid and its esters have broad functions in different stages of seed germination and plant development and are thought to play a role in protecting against ultraviolet irradiation
Effects of sinapic acid on seed germination and early seedling growth As previously reported, sinapic acid esters are involved in protection against UV radiation, seed germination, and seedling development in brassicaceous plants [34]; it is, unclear how sinapic acid esters regulate seed germination
To remove the effects of any trace of chemicals in the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium that could interfere with seed germination we performed the germination assay on water medium
Summary
Sinapic acid and its esters have broad functions in different stages of seed germination and plant development and are thought to play a role in protecting against ultraviolet irradiation. Sinapic acid is a small, naturally occurring member of the phenylpropanoid family that serves as a common precursor for soluble secondary metabolites [2]. In brassicaceous plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana, sinapic acid is converted. It has been reported that three major sinapic acid esters, sinapoylglucose, sinapoylmalate, and sinapoylcholine, accumulate in Arabidopsis and other members of the Brassicaceae family (Fig. 1) [5, 6]. Sinapoylglucose, which is the immediate precursor of sinapoylcholine and sinapoylmalate that accumulate in seeds and leaves, is.
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