TY - JOUR

T1 - Desiccation tolerance as the basis of long-term seed viability

AU - Smolikova, Galina

AU - Leonova, Tatiana

AU - Вашурина, Наталья Сергеевна

AU - Frolov, Andrej

AU - Medvedev, Sergei

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2021/1/1

Y1 - 2021/1/1

N2 - Desiccation tolerance appeared as the key adaptation feature of photoautotrophic organisms for survival in terrestrial habitats. During the further evolution, vascular plants developed complex anatomy structures and molecular mechanisms to maintain the hydrated state of cell environment and sustain dehydration. However, the role of the genes encoding the mechanisms behind this adaptive feature of terrestrial plants changed with their evolution. Thus, in higher vascular plants it is restricted to protection of spores, seeds and pollen from dehydration, whereas the mature vegetative stages became sensitive to desiccation. During maturation, orthodox seeds lose up to 95% of water and successfully enter dormancy. This feature allows seeds maintaining their viability even under strongly fluctuating environmental conditions. The mechanisms behind the desiccation tolerance are activated at the late seed maturation stage and are associated with the accumulation of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, small heat shock proteins (sHSP), non-reducing oligosaccharides, and antioxidants of different chemical nature. The main regulators of maturation and desiccation tolerance are abscisic acid and protein DOG1, which control the network of transcription factors, represented by LEC1, LEC2, FUS3, ABI3, ABI5, AGL67, PLATZ1, PLATZ2. This network is complemented by epigenetic regulation of gene expression via methylation of DNA, post-translational modifications of histones and chromatin remodeling. These fine regulatory mechanisms allow orthodox seeds maintaining desiccation tolerance during the whole period of germination up to the stage of radicle protrusion. This time point, in which seeds lose desiccation tolerance, is critical for the whole process of seed development.

AB - Desiccation tolerance appeared as the key adaptation feature of photoautotrophic organisms for survival in terrestrial habitats. During the further evolution, vascular plants developed complex anatomy structures and molecular mechanisms to maintain the hydrated state of cell environment and sustain dehydration. However, the role of the genes encoding the mechanisms behind this adaptive feature of terrestrial plants changed with their evolution. Thus, in higher vascular plants it is restricted to protection of spores, seeds and pollen from dehydration, whereas the mature vegetative stages became sensitive to desiccation. During maturation, orthodox seeds lose up to 95% of water and successfully enter dormancy. This feature allows seeds maintaining their viability even under strongly fluctuating environmental conditions. The mechanisms behind the desiccation tolerance are activated at the late seed maturation stage and are associated with the accumulation of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, small heat shock proteins (sHSP), non-reducing oligosaccharides, and antioxidants of different chemical nature. The main regulators of maturation and desiccation tolerance are abscisic acid and protein DOG1, which control the network of transcription factors, represented by LEC1, LEC2, FUS3, ABI3, ABI5, AGL67, PLATZ1, PLATZ2. This network is complemented by epigenetic regulation of gene expression via methylation of DNA, post-translational modifications of histones and chromatin remodeling. These fine regulatory mechanisms allow orthodox seeds maintaining desiccation tolerance during the whole period of germination up to the stage of radicle protrusion. This time point, in which seeds lose desiccation tolerance, is critical for the whole process of seed development.

KW - abscisic acid

KW - after-ripening

KW - desiccation tolerance

KW - dormancy

KW - germination

KW - gibberellins

KW - lafl

KW - seeds

KW - viability

KW - After-ripening

KW - Seeds

KW - Gibberellins

KW - Germination

KW - Desiccation tolerance

KW - Dormancy

KW - Abscisic acid

KW - LAFL

KW - Viability

KW - PROTEIN OXIDATION

KW - DORMANCY RELEASE

KW - NITRIC-OXIDE

KW - ABSCISIC-ACID

KW - SIGNALING ROLE

KW - OXIDATIVE STRESS

KW - ABIOTIC STRESS

KW - MOLECULAR ASPECTS

KW - ARABIDOPSIS SEEDS

KW - ACTIVE OXYGEN

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098710364&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/8ac38e49-c2a9-35f3-8f98-594f0e2ebb29/

U2 - 10.3390/ijms22010101

DO - 10.3390/ijms22010101

M3 - Review article

C2 - 33374189

VL - 22

SP - 1

EP - 24

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1422-0067

IS - 1

M1 - 101

ER -