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Membranes and seed dormancy: beyond the anaesthetic hypothesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Barbara P. Hallett  and
J. Derek Bewley
Barbara P. Hallett
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
J. Derek Bewley*
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
*
*Correspondence Fax: +1–519–767–1991 Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The breaking of dormancy in seeds can be elicited by many factors, including temperature and short exposure to low molecular weight amphipathic molecules such as primary alcohols, monocarboxylic acids and anaesthetics. Their action has been suggested to be mediated through effecting changes to membranes. Paradoxically, though, these molecules can inhibit the germination of some non-dormant seeds. Here, we review the structure–activity relationships between amphipathic molecules and dormancy breaking and, based on the known responses of membranes to them and to temperature changes, offer an alternative interpretation of the data and a new hypothesis to explain their action. We suggest that amphipathic molecules break dormancy by partitioning into the membrane, thereby increasing and optimizing phospholipid headgroup spacing. This, in turn, facilitates the binding and activation of a peripheral membrane protein component of a signal transduction pathway that is essential for the completion of germination. In cases where amphipathic molecules inhibit germination, it is predicted that they cause the optimal headgroup spacing to be exceeded, thus preventing subsequent association of the membrane with the peripheral protein component. The hypothesis is extended to explain membrane changes that can lead to dormancy breaking during dry after-ripening.

Keywords

after-ripeningamphipathic moleculesanaesthetic hypothesisgerminationphospholipid headgroup spacingseed dormancysignal transductiontemperature
Type
RESEARCH OPINION
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , June 2002 , pp. 69 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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