Seeds: A Unique System to Study Translational Regulation

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 487 - 495
• Main Authors: Sajeev, Nikita, Bai, Bing, Bentsink, Leónie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene regulation; Germination; Imbibition; long-lived mRNA; mRNA; Proteomics; ribosome; RNA, Messenger; Seed germination; Seeds; Translation; translational regulation; ribosome; translational regulation; seed germination; long-lived mRNA
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.03.011

Seeds accumulate mRNA during their development and have the ability to store these mRNAs over extended periods of time. On imbibition, seeds transform from a quiescent dry state (no translation) to a fully active metabolic state, and selectively translate subsets of these stored mRNA. Thus, seeds provide a unique developmentally regulated ‘on/off’ switch for translation. Additionally, there is extensive translational control during seed germination. Here we discuss new findings and hypotheses linked to mRNA fate and the role of translational regulation in seeds. Translation is an understated yet important mode of gene regulation. We propose seeds as a novel system to study developmentally and physiologically regulated translation. Translational regulation is an underexplored but important aspect of gene regulation. Powerful techniques like polysome profiling and Ribo-Seq have made it possible to reveal the translational status of mRNA subsets in cells. There is extensive translational regulation during seed germination. Subpopulations of mRNAs are predestined for distinct processes depending on the physiological state of the seed.