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Related Experiment Videos

The glassy state in corn embryos.

R J Williams1, A C Leopold

  • 1American Red Cross Holland Biomedical R&D Laboratories, Rockville, Maryland 20855.

Plant Physiology
|March 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Seeds survive desiccation through vitrification, forming a glassy state. Water uptake lowers the glass transition temperature, enabling biochemical activity and seedling growth.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Physiology
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Seeds can survive extreme dehydration, a process crucial for plant survival and agriculture.
  • The mechanism by which seeds maintain viability in a desiccated state is not fully understood.
  • Vitrification, or the formation of a glassy state, is a potential mechanism for preserving biological structures during drying.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of vitrification in seed survival during desiccation.
  • To identify the molecular components responsible for the glassy state in desiccated seeds.
  • To understand how water content influences the glass transition temperature and seed viability.

Main Methods:

  • Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze thermal transitions in corn (Zea mays L.) embryos at various low moisture contents.
  • Lipids were extracted from embryos to determine their contribution to thermal events.
  • Glass transition temperatures were measured in relation to water content.

Main Results:

  • Corn embryos exhibited low-temperature phase transitions detectable by DSC, which disappeared upon rehydration and normal seedling development.
  • These thermal events were primarily attributed to bulk lipids within the embryo.
  • A distinct glass transition was observed in lipid-extracted embryos, decreasing from above +40°C to below -60°C as water content increased to 20%.

Conclusions:

  • The desiccated state in seeds is consistent with a glassy state, primarily mediated by bulk lipids.
  • Water imbibition lowers the glass transition temperature below ambient levels.
  • This reduction in glass transition temperature allows for the resumption of essential biochemical activities, ensuring seed viability.

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