Holistic overview of regulatory networks governing seed dormancy and germination in plants
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.
Authors
- Ruyu Tang
- Lijuan Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5826-3933)
- Zhichong Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4271-0276)
- Jingwen Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0089-4748)
- Yongxiu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6088-3357)
- Xianting Qi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8637-4916)
- Shuai Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4527-987X)
- Shiyong Song
- Chunzhao Zhao
- Tingting Xu
- Xu Wang
- Yuan Zheng
- Minghui Zhang
- Yong Xiang
- Milian Yang
- Yajin Ye
- Ying Chen
- Kunrong He
- Xiao Han
- Xi Chen
- Dechang Cao
- Yanru Hu
- Kai Shu
- Chengxiang You
- Chunlan Yu
- Hui Shi
- Juping Zhang
- Min Chen
Institutions
- Kunming Institute of Botany (CN)
- Hunan University (CN)
- Nanjing Forestry University (CN)
- Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN)
- Henan University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (CN)
- North West Agriculture and Forestry University (CN)
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen (CN)
- Guizhou Minzu University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Botany (CN)
- China National Rice Research Institute (CN)
- Hunan Agricultural University (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Capital Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science China Life Sciences
- Published
- 2025-12-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-025-3157-8
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Seed Germination and Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.50
Funders
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Government of Jiangsu Province