Metabolomic analysis of tomato seed germination.

Introduction: Seed germination is inherently related to seed metabolism, which changes throughout its maturation, desiccation and germination processes. The metabolite content of a seed and its ability to germinate are determined by underlying genetic architecture and environmental effects during development.

Objective: This study aimed to assess an integrative approach to explore genetics modulating seed metabolism in different developmental stages and the link between seed metabolic- and germination traits.

A Predictive Coexpression Network Identifies Novel Genes Controlling the Seed-to-Seedling Phase Transition in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The transition from a quiescent dry seed to an actively growing photoautotrophic seedling is a complex and crucial trait for plant propagation. This study provides a detailed description of global gene expression in seven successive developmental stages of seedling establishment in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Using the transcriptome signature from these developmental stages, we obtained a coexpression gene network that highlights interactions between known regulators of the seed-to-seedling transition and predicts the functions of uncharacterized genes in seedling establishment.