Natural modifiers of seed longevity in the Arabidopsis mutants abscisic acid insensitive3-5 (abi3-5) and leafy cotyledon1-3 (lec1-3)

Abstract

Seed longevity is an important trait in many crops and is essential for the success of most land plant species. Current knowledge of its molecular regulation is limited. The Arabidopsis mutants abscisic acid insensitive3-5 (abi3-5) and leafy cotyledon1-3 (lec1-3) have impaired seed maturation and quickly lose seed viability. abi3-5 and lec1-3 were used as sensitized genetic backgrounds for the study of seed longevity. We exploited the natural variation of Arabidopsis to create introgression lines from the Seis am Schlern and Shahdara accessions in, respectively, the abi3-5 and lec1-3 backgrounds. These lines carry natural modifiers of the abi3 and lec1 phenotypes. Longevity tests and a proteomic analysis were conducted to describe the seed physiology of each line. The modifier lines showed improved seed longevity. The Shahdara modifiers can partially re-establish the seed developmental programs controlled by LEC1 and restore the accumulation of seed storage proteins that are reduced in abi3-5 and lec1-3. The isolation and characterization of natural modifiers of the seed maturation mutants abi3-5 and lec1-3, and the analysis of their seed proteomes, advance our current understanding of seed longevity. © 2009 New Phytologist.