ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1581800
This article is part of the Research TopicMolecular Basis of Seed Germination and Dormancy, Volume IIView all articles
OsNUDX23 regulates early seed germination by modulating ROS balance and starch metabolism in rice
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- 2Peking University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 3Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang, China
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Seed germination is a complex biological process that encompasses the mobilization of stored nutrients, the resumption of metabolic activities, and the responses to various environmental stimuli. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) play a dual role during seed germination: at low concentrations, they function as signaling molecules to facilitate germination, while at high levels, they can induce oxidative damages. Therefore, maintaining ROS homeostasis through scavenging mechanisms is crucial for optimal seed germination. In this study, we investigated the role of OsNUDX23 in rice seed germination. Our findings indicated that OsNUDX23 acts as an active Nudix hydrolase towards diverse substrates including NAD, NADH, NADPH, FAD, and ADPG. Loss-of-function OsNUDX23 mutants displayed earlier coleoptile elongation, delayed radicle elongation and reduced germination rate during post-imbibition stages when compared to wildtype plants, suggesting its intricate role during seed germination. Transcriptome analyses revealed that OsNUDX23 influences the expression of genes involved in ROS metabolism and starch metabolism pathways. Further investigation revealed that OsNUDX23 inhibits the activity of NADPH oxidase (NOX) and reduces the accumulation of NADP+, resulting in elevated ROS levels in Osnudx23 mutants. Down-regulation of genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism was observed in Osnudx23 mutants during post-imbibition, accompanied with accumulated starch content. Collectively, these results demonstrate that OsNUDX23 plays a critical role in rice seed germination by scavenging ROS to maintain redox balance and modulating starch metabolism.
Keywords: OsNUDX23, seed germination, Nudix hydrolase, ROS homeostasis, Starch metabolism
Received: 23 Feb 2025; Accepted: 23 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dai, Kong, Wu, Pan, Gao, Mo, Yu and Weigui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yu Yu, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, Beijing Municipality, China
Luo Weigui, Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang, China
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