WEAK SEED DORMANCY 1, an aminotransferase protein, regulates seed dormancy in rice through the GA and ABA pathways

Abstract

Seed dormancy is a critical trait that enhances plant survival by preventing seed germination at the wrong time or under unsuitable conditions. Lack of seed dormancy in rice can lead to pre-harvest sprouting on mother plants leading to reduced yield and seed quality. Although some genes have been identified, knowledge of regulation of seed dormancy is limited. Here, we characterized a weak seed dormancy mutant named weak seed dormancy 1 (wsd1) that showed a higher seed germination percentage than the wild-type following the harvest ripeness. We cloned the WSD1 encoding an aminotransferase protein using a MutMap approach. WSD1 was stably expressed after imbibition and its protein was localized in the endoplasm reticulum. A widely targeted metabolomics assay and amino acid analysis showed that WSD1 had a role in regulating homeostasis of amino acids. PAC treatment and RNA-seq analysis showed that WSD1 regulates seed dormancy by involvement in the GA biosynthesis pathway. GA₁ content and expression of GA biosynthesis-related genes were increased in the wsd1 mutant compared with the wild-type. The wsd1 mutant had reduced sensitivity to ABA. Our overall results indicated that WSD1 regulates seed dormancy by balancing the ABA and GA pathways.

Keywords: Oryza sativa; Pre-harvest sprouting; Seed germination; WSD1.