Abstract
GAs are phytohormons that play an essential role in promoting seed germination, during which the GAs biosynthesis is activated by such environmental factors as low temperature and light. On the other hand, the seed germination of various plants has been shown to require reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as O2- and H2O2. Previous studies have shown that ROS serve as an important molecule for cellular signal transduction, but the molecular mechanism for how ROS promote seed germination, especially in regard to GAs, remains to be elucidated.
Here we aim to elucidate the role of ROS generated during the germination of Arabidopsis seeds. According to DNA micoarray analysis and germination test, H2O2 promoted the seed germination of Arabidopsis and induced a set genes associated with GAs. O2- was actually generated following seed imbibition. These suggest that H2O2 generated via the disproportionation of O2- regulates the GAs-associated pathway promoting seed germination.
