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Abscisic acid and the control of seed dormancy and germination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2010

Eiji Nambara ,
Masanori Okamoto ,
Kiyoshi Tatematsu ,
Ryoichi Yano ,
Mitsunori Seo  and
Yuji Kamiya
Eiji Nambara*
Affiliation:
Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, OntarioM5S 2B2, Canada The Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (CAGEF), University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 3B2, Canada RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan
Masanori Okamoto
Affiliation:
RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan
Kiyoshi Tatematsu
Affiliation:
RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan Laboratory of Plant Organ Development, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi444-8585, Japan
Ryoichi Yano
Affiliation:
RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan
Mitsunori Seo
Affiliation:
RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan
Yuji Kamiya
Affiliation:
RIKEN Plant Science Center, 1-7-22, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama230-0045, Japan
*
*Correspondence Email: eiji.nambara@utoronto.ca
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Abstract

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that regulates seed dormancy and germination. Seeds undergo changes in both ABA content and sensitivity during seed development and germination in response to internal and external cues. Recent advances in functional genomics have revealed the integral components involved in ABA metabolism (biosynthesis and catabolism) and perception, the core signalling pathway, as well as the factors that trigger ABA-mediated transcription. These allow for comparative studies to be conducted on seeds under different environmental conditions and from different genetic backgrounds. This review summarizes our understanding of the control of ABA content and the responsiveness of seeds to afterripening, light, high temperature and nitrate, with a focus on which tissues are involved in its metabolism and signalling. Also described are the regulators of ABA metabolism and signalling, which potentially act as the node for hormone crosstalk. Integration of such knowledge into the complex and diverse events occurring during seed germination will be the next challenge, which will allow for a clearer understanding of the role of ABA.

Keywords

abscisic acidafterripeningcrosstalklightnitrateseedtemperature
Type
Invited Review
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 55 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010. This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.

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