Holistic overview of regulatory networks governing seed dormancy and germination in plants

Kunrong He; Weimin Wang; Chengxiang You; Xianting Qi; Xi Chen; Xu Wang; Milian Yang; Minghui Zhang; Ruyu Tang; Zhichong Huang; Juping Zhang; Jingwen Ye; Tingting Xu; Chunlan Yu; Lijuan Zhou; Yajin Ye; Xiao Han; Shiyong Song; Dechang Cao; Min Chen; Hui Shi; Yong Xiang; Kai Shu; Ying Chen; Yuan Zheng; Chunzhao Zhao; Yongxiu Liu; Yanru Hu

doi:10.1007/s11427-025-3157-8

Holistic overview of regulatory networks governing seed dormancy and germination in plants

Sci China Life Sci. 2025 Dec 24. doi: 10.1007/s11427-025-3157-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kunrong He^{1

2}, Weimin Wang¹, Chengxiang You¹, Xianting Qi¹, Xi Chen³, Xu Wang³, Milian Yang^{2

4}, Minghui Zhang^{5

6}, Ruyu Tang², Zhichong Huang², Juping Zhang², Jingwen Ye², Tingting Xu², Chunlan Yu², Lijuan Zhou¹, Yajin Ye¹, Xiao Han⁷, Shiyong Song⁸, Dechang Cao⁹, Min Chen¹⁰, Hui Shi¹¹, Yong Xiang¹², Kai Shu¹³, Ying Chen¹⁴, Yuan Zheng¹⁵, Chunzhao Zhao¹⁶, Yongxiu Liu¹⁷, Yanru Hu^{18

19

20}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Forest Food Resources, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
³ Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, China.
⁴ School of Ethnic-Minority Medicine, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
⁵ Hunan Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Developmental Regulation, Hunan Research Center of the Basic Discipline for Cell Signaling, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
⁶ Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha, 410128, China.
⁷ CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China. hanxiao@xtbg.ac.cn.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Resources, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. shiyongsong@zju.edu.cn.
⁹ Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Crop Wild Relatives Omics, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China. caodechang@mail.kib.ac.cn.
¹⁰ State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China. chenmin@henu.edu.cn.
¹¹ College of Life Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China. hui.shi@cnu.edu.cn.
¹² Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, China. xiangyong@caas.cn.
¹³ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Intelligent Monitoring and Protection, School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China. kshu@nwpu.edu.cn.
¹⁴ State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, 311400, China. chenying02@caas.cn.
¹⁵ Institute of Future Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China. zhengyuan051@163.com.
¹⁶ State Key Laboratory of Plant Trait Design, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China. czzhao@cemps.ac.cn.
¹⁷ Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China. yongxiu@ibcas.ac.cn.
¹⁸ CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China. huyanru@hnu.edu.cn.
¹⁹ Hunan Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Developmental Regulation, Hunan Research Center of the Basic Discipline for Cell Signaling, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China. huyanru@hnu.edu.cn.
²⁰ Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha, 410128, China. huyanru@hnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 41518573
DOI: 10.1007/s11427-025-3157-8

Abstract

Seed dormancy and germination are crucial processes affecting the propagation and survival of plant populations. These phenomena are precisely regulated through a complex interplay between internal signals, such as plant hormones and environmental cues including light, temperature, moisture, and nutrient availability. Dormancy release and germination initiation are distinct, yet closely associated, processes involving complex transcriptional, translational, and epigenetic changes mediated by intricate regulatory mechanisms. This review comprehensively summarizes the complex regulatory networks governing seed dormancy and germination across different plant species. By integrating physiological, genetic, and molecular biology perspectives, the latest advances in the research on mechanisms regulating seed dormancy and germination are discussed, providing valuable insights for improving seed quality through biotechnology-based breeding strategies and establishing a solid foundation for future research in this field.

Keywords: environmental cues; germination; hormones; regulatory mechanisms; seed dormancy.

Publication types

Review