Université de Fribourg

Embryonic photosynthesis affects post-germination plant growth

Sela, Ayala ; Piskurewicz, Urszula ; Megies, Christian ; Mène-Saffrané, Laurent ; Finazzi, Giovanni ; Lopez-Molina, Luis

In: Plant Physiology, 2020, vol. 182, no. 4, p. 2166–2181

Photosynthesis is the fundamental process fueling plant vegetative growth and development. The progeny of plants relies on maternal photosynthesis, via food reserves in the seed, to supply the necessary energy for seed germination and early seedling establishment. Intriguingly, before seed maturation, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) embryos are also photosynthetically active, the...

Université de Fribourg

An endosperm-associated cuticle is required for Arabidopsis seed viability, dormancy and early control of germination

Giorgi, Julien De ; Piskurewicz, Urszula ; Loubery, Sylvain ; Utz-Pugin, Anne ; Bailly, Christophe ; Mène-Saffrané, Laurent ; Lopez-Molina, Luis

In: PLoS Genetics, 2015, vol. 11, no. 12, p. e1005708

Cuticular layers and seeds are prominent plant adaptations to terrestrial life that appeared early and late during plant evolution, respectively. The cuticle is a waterproof film covering plant aerial organs preventing excessive water loss and protecting against biotic and abiotic stresses. Cutin, consisting of crosslinked fatty acid monomers, is the most abundant and studied cuticular component....