Researchers find gene that allows for seed germination under high salinity
Credits to Inês Barbosa, IGC
A new paper published in Plant, Cell & Environment by GREEN-IT IGC researchers of Paula Duque’s lab reveals the role of the SR protein SCL30a in the regulation of germination of the seed under high salinity conditions.
To break free of their state of dormancy and germinate, seeds need to have the best optimal environmental and internal conditions. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a key promoter of dormancy that inhibits germination and is also implicated in the regulation of other seed traits. With this research, the GREEN-IT team found that the SCL30a SR protein regulates ABA signaling, thus affecting seed germination and size, in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana.
In a high-salinity context, seeds have more difficulty absorbing water. Normally, this stress condition leads to a rise in ABA, and so germination does not occur and the seed remains dormant. The researchers found that loss of function of the SCL30a SR protein results in smaller seeds displaying hypersensitivity to ABA and salt stress during germination. On the other hand, overexpressing SCL30a led to larger seeds with reduced sensitivity to ABA and high salt conditions.
The researchers concluded that SCL30a activity affects the performance of seeds under salt stress by influencing the sensitivity to the ABA hormone. Given that high salinity severely hinders plant productivity worldwide, this study points to the potential of a novel target for biotech solutions.
“These findings are in Arabidopsis, but they could translate into crop species,” explains Paula Duque, “If so, this protein affecting both seed size and tolerance to salt stress could play a major role in safeguarding productivity, especially in the current climate context”.
Original paper
Tom Laloum, Sofia D. Carvalho, Guiomar Martín, Dale N. Richardson, Tiago M. D. Cruz, Raquel F. Carvalho, Kevin L. Stecca, Anthony J. Kinney, Mathias Zeidler, Inês C. R. Barbosa, Paula Duque (2023). The SCL30a SR protein regulates ABA-dependent seed traits and germination under stress. Plant, Cell & Environment, 1– 16. DOI: 10.1111/pce.14593
