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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

A Seed Coat Bedding Assay to Genetically Explore In Vitro How the Endosperm Controls Seed Germination in Arabidopsis thaliana
Published on: November 9, 2013
Arabidopsis seed mucilage secretory cells: regulation and dynamics
Edith Francoz1, Philippe Ranocha1, Vincent Burlat1
1Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, UMR 5546, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
Abstract:
Seeds from various angiosperm species produce polysaccharide mucilage facilitating germination and, therefore, conferring major evolutionary advantages. The seed epidermal mucilage secretory cells (MSCs) undergo numerous tightly controlled changes of their extracellular matrixes (ECMs) throughout seed development. Recently, major progress based on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana was published, including the identification of 54 genes necessary for mucilage synthesis and release. Here, we review these genes that constitute the so-called 'MSC toolbox', within which transcription factors and proteins related to polysaccharide production, secretion, modification, and stabilization are the most abundant and belong to complex regulatory networks. We also discuss how seed coat 'omics data-mining, comparative genomics, and operon-like gene cluster studies will provide means to identify new members of the MSC toolbox.
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