title: Arabidopsis seed secrets unravelled after a decade of genetic and omics-driven research.
abstract: Seeds play a fundamental role in colonization of the environment by spermatophytes, and seeds harvested from crops are the main food source for human beings. Knowledge of seed biology is therefore important for both fundamental and applied issues. This review on seed biology illustrates the important progress made in the field of Arabidopsis seed research over the last decade. Access to 'omics' tools, including the inventory of genes deduced from sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome, has speeded up the analysis of biological functions operating in seeds. This review covers the following processes: seed and seed coat development, seed reserve accumulation, seed dormancy and seed germination. We present new insights in these various fields and describe ongoing biotechnology approaches to improve seed characteristics in crops.
authors.affiliation: INRA, Seed Biology Laboratory, Institut Jean Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), UMR 204 INRA/AgroParisTech, Versailles cedex, France.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: North
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baud
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Debeaujon
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubos
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dubreucq
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grappin
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jullien
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lepiniec
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marion-Poll
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miquel
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajjou
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Routaboul
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caboche
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000639:trends; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D023281:Genomics; D018525:Germination; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins