Induction of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds enhances seed dormancy

Full understanding of mechanisms that control seed dormancy and germination remains elusive. Whereas it has been proposed that translational control plays a predominant role in germination, other studies suggest the importance of specific gene expression patterns in imbibed seeds. Transgenic plants...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2011-10, Vol.108 (41), p.17225-17229
Main Authors: Martínez-Andújar, Cristina, Ordiz, M. Isabel, Huang, Zhonglian, Nonogaki, Mariko, Beachy, Roger N, Nonogaki, Hiroyuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abscisic acid
Abscisic Acid - biosynthesis
Arabidopsis - enzymology
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - physiology
Arabidopsis thaliana
Biological Sciences
Biosynthesis
Dioxygenases - biosynthesis
Dioxygenases - genetics
Dormancy
ecdysone
engineering
fluridone
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
genes
Genes, Plant
Germination
hormone metabolism
Hormones
imbibition
Ligands
methoxyfenozide
mutants
Mutation
Plant Dormancy
Plant Proteins - biosynthesis
Plant Proteins - genetics
Plants, Genetically Modified
Seed development
Seed dormancy
Seed germination
Seeds
Seeds - enzymology
Testa
Transgenic plants
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Summary:Full understanding of mechanisms that control seed dormancy and germination remains elusive. Whereas it has been proposed that translational control plays a predominant role in germination, other studies suggest the importance of specific gene expression patterns in imbibed seeds. Transgenic plants were developed to permit conditional expression of a gene encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 6 (NCED6), a rate-limiting enzyme in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, using the ecdysone receptor-based plant gene switch system and the ligand methoxyfenozide. Induction of NCED6 during imbibition increased ABA levels more than 20-fold and was sufficient to prevent seed germination. Germination suppression was prevented by fluridone, an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis. In another study, induction of the NCED6 gene in transgenic seeds of nondormant mutants tt3 and tt4 reestablished seed dormancy. Furthermore, inducing expression of NCED6 during seed development suppressed vivipary, precocious germination of developing seeds. These results indicate that expression of a hormone metabolism gene in seeds can be a sole determinant of dormancy. This study opens the possibility of developing a robust technology to suppress or promote seed germination through engineering pathways of hormone metabolism.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1112151108