Seed Molecular Biology

Seeds are an essential part of the plant owing to their role in reproduction and storage of the genetic material, thereby guaranteeing the continuation of the plant’s life cycle to the next generation. Additionally, seeds store carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, which are not only used as energy sources to support the early stages of seed development and germination, but also as nutrients for animals and humans. Seed development, germination and senescence are highly regulated, with several molecular mechanisms participating throughout the whole process. By compiling open access research papers, the present books reviews the different events taking place during the seed’s life cycle at the molecular level.

In Chapter 1, the editor reviews the main molecular aspects of seed longevity and discusses the application of this knowledge to the preservation of plant genetic resources. Chapter 2 describes the whole process of double fertilization: pollen tube growth, sperm cell discharge and gamete interaction. In Chapter 3, the developmental and signaling events taking place during central cell maturation and endosperm initiation are overviewed. Chapter 4 describes the cell wall composition of cereal grains and explores the evolutionary mechanisms that originated the differences among species. Both Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the seed coat. In Chapter 5, an in-depth functional evaluation of the different genes expressed in the seed coat epidermis of Arabidopsis is carried out to study the biogenesis of secondary cell walls. In Chapter 6, a detailed overview of the physical, metabolic and developmental functions of this protective layer is presented. Chapter 7 explores the asexual reproduction mechanism of apomixis. The next block of five chapters focuses on the molecular aspects of seed development. Chapter 8 reviews angiosperm seed development and the epigenetic mechanisms by which imprinting influences it. The role of cell cycle in controlling seed development is discussed in Chapter 9, while those of photosynthesis plus amino acid metabolism described in Chapters 10, respectively.