The nuclear protein Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase 3 (AtPARP3) is required for seed storability in Arabidopsis thaliana

The deterioration of seeds during prolonged storage results in a reduction of viability and germination rate. DNA damage is one of the major cellular defects associated with seed deterioration. It is provoked by the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) even in the quiescent state of the desiccated seed. In contrast to other stages of seed life, DNA repair during storage is hindered through the low seed water content; thereby DNA lesions can accumulate. To allow subsequent seedling development, DNA repair has thus to be initiated immediately upon imbibition. Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are important components in the DNA damage response in humans. Arabidopsis thaliana contains three homologues to the human HsPARP1 protein. Of these three, only AtPARP3 was very highly expressed in seeds. Histochemical GUS staining of embryos and endosperm layers revealed strong promoter activity of AtPARP3 during all steps of germination. This coincided with high ROS activity and indicated a role of the nuclear‐localised AtPARP3 in DNA repair during germination. Accordingly, stored parp3‐1 mutant seeds lacking AtPARP3 expression displayed a delay in germination as compared to Col‐0 wild‐type seeds. A controlled deterioration test showed that the mutant seeds were hypersensitive to unfavourable storage conditions. The results demonstrate that AtPARP3 is an important component of seed storability and viability.     

桃儿七种子解剖结构及其萌发生长期形态特征

为探明种皮和胚乳是否是限制桃儿七种子萌发的主要因素,利用组织切片和显微技术,对桃儿七种子及其不同萌发期（1、7、14、21、28 d）解剖结构和播种后一定时期内（7~210 d）的植株生长形态进行观察。桃儿七种子由种皮、胚乳和胚构成。种皮包括外种皮和内种皮,外种皮致密规整,由外至内分别为栅状石细胞和表皮层细胞,内种皮由5~6层海绵细胞组成。胚乳占种子体积的绝大部分,包括珠孔胚乳和外胚乳。胚由胚根、胚轴和子叶组成,被致密种皮、多层珠孔胚乳和外胚乳包围。萌发期1~7 d胚根和胚轴开始伸长,7~14 d两片子叶分离,14~21 d胚根突破珠孔胚乳和种皮,21~28 d胚根、胚轴和子叶继续扩张伸长。种子播种210 d后可平均形成3片功能真叶和5条不定根。致密种皮（物理休眠）和多层胚乳（机械休眠）是限制桃儿七种子萌发的两个主要因素。     

On the Structure of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Endosperm during Germination

Endosperm cells of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) are characterizedby thick cell walls and dense cytoplasm which contains numerousprotein bodies. Other organelles such as nucleus, mitochondria,plastids and dictyosomes are typical of plant cells. Light andelectron microscopy reveal that before radicle emergence micropylarcells of endosperm tissue undergo drastic protoplast alterations.These alterations seem to be the only structural modificationsbefore rupturing of the tissue since the walls of the endospermcells seem to degrade only after radicle emergence. The differentialbehaviour of the micropylar area of the endosperm before radicleemergence and the observation that the micropylar cells remainmetabolically active long after radicle emergence while therest of the tissue is almost completely disintegrated, suggeststhat the endosperm cells of the micropylar area may have a roleother than being a main reserve site like the rest of the endosperm. Lactuca sativa L., endosperm structure, seed germination, lettuce     

The emergence of embryos from hard seeds is related to the structure of the cell walls of the micropylar endosperm, and not to endo-beta-mannanase activity

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Seeds of carob, Chinese senna, date and fenugreek are hard due to thickened endosperm cell walls containing mannan polymers. How the radicle is able penetrate these thickened walls to complete seed germination is not clearly understood. The objective of this study was to determine if radicle emergence is related to the production of endo-beta-mannanase to weaken the mannan-rich cell walls of the surrounding endosperm region, and/or if the endosperm structure itself is such that it is weaker in the region through which the radicle must penetrate. METHODS: Activity of endo-beta-mannanase in the endosperm and embryo was measured using a gel assay during and following germination, and the structure of the endosperm in juxtaposition to the radicle, and surrounding the cotyledons was determined using fixation, sectioning and light microscopy. KEY RESULTS: The activity of endo-beta-mannanase, the major enzyme responsible for galactomannan cell wall weakening increased in activity only after emergence of the radicle from the seed. Thickened cell walls were present in the lateral endosperm in the hard-seeded species studied, but there was little to no thickening in the micropylar endosperm except in date seeds. In this species, a ring of thin cells was visible in the micropylar endosperm and surrounding an operculum which was pushed open by the expanding radicle to complete germination. CONCLUSIONS: The micropylar endosperm presents a lower physical constraint to the completion of germination than the lateral endosperm, and hence its structure is predisposed to permit radicle protrusion.     

Heteromorphic seeds of wheat wild relatives show germination niche differentiation

• Crop wild relatives are fundamental genetic resources for crop improvement. Wheat wild relatives often produce heteromorphic seeds that differ in morphological and physiological traits. Several Aegilops and Triticum species possess, within the same spikelet, a dimorphic seed pair, with one seed being larger than the other. A comprehensive analysis is needed to understand which traits are involved in seed dimorphism and if these aspects of variation in dimorphic pairs are functionally related.
• To this end, dispersal units of Triticum urartu and five Aegilops species were X‐rayed and the different seed morphs weighed. Germination tests were carried out on seeds, both dehulled and left in their dispersal units. Controlled ageing tests were performed to detect differences in seed longevity among seed morphs, and the antioxidant profile was assessed in terms of antioxidant compounds equipment and expression of selected antioxidant genes. We used PCA to group seed morphs sharing similar patterns of germination traits, longevity estimates and antioxidant profile.
• Different seed morphs differed significantly in terms of mass, final germination, germination timing, longevity estimates and antioxidant profile in most of the tested species. Small seeds germinated slower, had lower germination when left in their dispersal units, a higher antioxidant potential and were longer‐lived than large seeds. The antioxidant gene expression varied between morphs, with different patterns across species but not clearly reflecting the phenotypic observations.
• The results highlight different trait trade‐offs in dimorphic seeds of Aegilops and T. urartu, affecting their germination phenology and longevity, thereby resulting in recruitment niche differentiation.

     

The onset of embryo maturation in Arabidopsis is determined by its developmental stage and does not depend on endosperm cellularization

Seeds are dormant and desiccated structures, filled with storage products to be used after germination. These properties are determined by the maturation program, which starts, in Arabidopsis thaliana, mid‐embryogenesis, at about the same time and developmental stage in all the seeds in a fruit. The two factors, chronological and developmental time, are closely entangled during seed development, so their relative contribution to the transition to maturation is not well understood. It is also unclear whether that transition is determined autonomously by each seed or whether it depends on signals from the fruit. The onset of maturation follows the cellularization of the endosperm, and it has been proposed that there exists a causal relationship between both processes. We explored all these issues by analyzing markers for maturation in Arabidopsis mutant seeds that develop at a slower pace, or where endosperm cellularization happens too early, too late, or not at all. Our data show that the developmental stage of the embryo is the key determinant of the initiation of maturation, and that each seed makes that transition autonomously. We also found that, in contrast with previous models, endosperm cellularization is not required for the onset of maturation, suggesting that this transition is independent of the hexose/sucrose ratio in the seed. Our observations indicate that the mechanisms that control endosperm cellularization, embryo growth, and embryo maturation act independently of each other.