Work

Light‐Controlled Seed Germination: Molecular Integration With Environmental Signals

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Seed germination is a critical developmental transition in plants, tightly regulated by a multitude of environmental factors. Light serves as a central coordinator, integrating with other signals like temperature and water availability to precisely control the timing of germination. This review synthesises recent advances in the molecular understanding of light-mediated germination, with a focus on the roles of photoreceptors, core E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes, key transcriptional regulators and epigenetic modifications in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We further propose integrative models that delineate how light signalling converges with temperature and water pathways to regulate dormancy release and germination initiation. A deeper mechanistic knowledge of how seeds process and integrate these environmental cues is crucial for manipulating and optimising plant establishment in changing environments.

Source: Plant Cell & Environment

DOI: 10.1111/pce.70612

Authors: Jing Kang, Shuai Zhao, Shangwei Zhong, Hui Shi

Institutions: Capital Normal University, Peking University, Center for Life Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Seed Germination and Physiology

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality, National Key Research and Development Program of China

Awards: G1268357811, G2847178343, G3173773822, G7763371843