Current Perspectives on the

Hormonal Control of Seed

Development in Arabidopsis and
Maize:
a Focus on Auxin
Antonella Locascio, Irma Roig-Villanova, Jamila
Bernardi, and Serena Varotto

Presented By:
Sumarlina

Seed
Seed
Compartments

differentiation, development
and maturation of seed
depends
on

Seed Coat

Coordination processes
by signals

Endosperm

Phytohormones

Embryo

Auxin as a central
role

Seed Development

Remaka
ble
differenc
es exist
during
seed
maturati
on

Monoc
ots

Endosperm persist until

maturation and
constitutes an
important compartment
for nutrients storage

Eudicot
s

Endosperm is reduced
to a single cell layer, as
the expanding embryo
gradually replaces it
during the maturation

FOCUS ON
HORMONAL
CONTROL BY

Morphogenes
is
Seed
Developm
ent

Formation and structural development of

the different compartments of the
mature seed.
The mechanisms are highly
coordinated and extremely complex
Hormonal controls

Maturation

Physiological process that ends with the

onset of the state of seed dormancy
The seed loses up to 95% of its water
content (desiccation)
Cell cycle activities are stopped
RNA and protein synthesis decrease

Seed Development in Arabidopsis and

Maize

Importence of communication
between the seed compartments
A failure in development of compartment or
communication through the seed structure wil cause
defects in the mature seed, even abortion and
embryo death

Failure of endosperm cellularization or

development effect the amount of nutrients
stored (e.g. sucrose) in the seed essential
for embryo maturation
The growth promoting phytohormones
cytokinins, brassinosteroids, and auxins are
considered important signaling molecules in
seed development (e.g. seed size)

Hormonal Coordination of
Seed Development
Seed consist of multiple tissues
and cells with specific pattern of
proliferation and differentiation

Integrate and organize

cell distribution within
the tissue/organ
Determine the cell fate
Control the progression
through development

Require a
precise
spatial and
temporal
coordination
Production,
transmission,
and perception
of Signals
Auxin as one of
hormonal
control

Fundamentals in the first

steps of seed development
Fundamentals in
determination of embryo
structure and size
Auxin accumulation and
distribution varies during seed
development important roles
during the entire lifespan of the
plant

The Role of

Monocots

Eudicotes

Auxin is
involved in
positional
signaling during
aleurone
development

Auxin plays a role in

seed dormancy and
germination through its
crosstalk with other
hormones e.g. Abscissic
acid (ABA)

Researches
suggest a role for
auxin in all the stages
of maize seed
development

In immature seed, auxin

accumulates in the embryos,
concretely at the root apex, ends
of cotyledon primordia and at
the hypophysis

The Role of

Complete loss of endogenous auxin in the embryo might be lethal

 Auxin concentration increases at the onset of

endoreduplication and remains high
throughhout
the development
Auxin is low during the initial phase of
endosperm development and increases from
9-11 DAP remaining high until maturation
IAA levels increase between 8 and 28 DPA
with a drop at 20 DAP

The Role of

in Maize

The mechanism of action of auxin

involves three checkpoints:
Biosynthesis

First natural
auxin
identified: IAA
(Indole-3acetic acid)
which have
been 5 kind of
biosynthesis
pathways

Polar transport

The role
exerted by
auxin in the
regulation of
plant growth
strongly
depensds on
its
charateristic
polar transport

Perception/transdu
ction of the signal

At molecular
level, auxin
response is
mediated by
the action of
AUXIN
RESPONE
FACTORS
(ARFs) as the
transcription
factor

These 3 checkpoints are influencing the final

size of seed in both maize and Arabidopsis
seed development

Auxin Transport During the Embryogenesis

Development of
Arabidopsis and Maize

Schematic Representation of the Factors

Affecting Seed
Development in Arabidopsis and Maize

Role of the Other

Phytohormones on Seed
Development
Cytokinins (CKs)
Linked to growth promotion by cell division, development, and
differentiation
CKs function in the seed has still not been exhaustively characterized

Brassinosteroids (BRs)
Regulates ovule number and seed size and shape, and complementing
CKs and auxins
Participate in the regulation of seed germination by antagonizing the
inhibitor effect of ABA and being synergic to gibberellins

Abscissic acid (ABA) and Gibberellins (GAs)

Working correlated and atagonistic
Important in accumulation of nutrient in endosperm and desiccation

Epigenetic Control of Endosperm

Development by Genomic Imprinting
A prominent role is exerted by the epigenetic
mechanisms that determine the parent-of-origin
specific gene expression, described as genomic
imprinting
The process of imprinting takes place already during
gametophyte formation

Imprinting is fundamental for both embryo and

endosperm differentiation during seed development,
which interestingly is the sole plant developmental
phase characterized by maternal dependency

miRNAs Control of Seed

Development
Single-stranded RNA molecules of 21-22
nucleotides in length (with some exception)
processed from a precursor molecule defined as
pre-miRNA
miRNAs are expresssed from early to later stages
during seed development

Arabidopsi
s

Auxin metabolism is
controlled by at least
four conserved miRNA
families (miR160,
miR167, miR390, and
miR393

Maize
A deep sequencing
approach has been
used to identify seed
specific miRNAs in
maize. Most miR167
and miR319 families
were found enriched in
seeds rather than
leaves.

miRNAs Control of Seed Development

Plant microRNAs play important regulatory roles
in many biological and metabolic processes,
including development, hormone signaling, and
responses to environmental stress
Function in
seed
development

Implicated in the control of embryo genesis and

embryo patterning, also affecting the germination
process.
Affecting seed size during the process of seed
maturity
Participate in the hormones cross-talk

Conclusion
Genes and elements involved in the process of seed
development.
Epigenetic control by genomic imprinting is linked to
hormones accumulation and coordination
miRNAs play important regulatory roles in
controlling gene expression during seed
development
Auxin as one of hormonal controls, plays important
roles during the entire lifespan of the plant,
especially in seed development
Remarkable differences exist during the seed
maturation between monocots and eudicots
Other kind pf phytohormones participated in the
control of seed development, such as cytokinins,
brassinosteroids, abscissic acid, and gibberelins