TaGASR25 interacts with TaC3HC4 to modulate seed dormancy and germination in common wheat

Strong seed dormancy is crucial for preventing pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in cereal crops. However, the underlying molecular mechanism in wheat remains unclear. Here, we identified a gibberellin (GA)-stimulated regulator gene, TaGASR25, which negatively modulates wheat seed dormancy. Further analyses showed that TaC3HC4, a member of the C3HC4-type zinc finger family, enhances TaGASR25 transcription and interacts with TaGASR25 in the nucleus to negatively regulate wheat seed dormancy through crosstalk with the GA and abscisic acid (ABA) pathways. Marker-trait association analyses revealed that the A/G (-1317 bp) and CGG/GA- (-1645 bp) mutations in the TaGASR25 promoter were significantly associated with differences in seed dormancy among wheat varieties, with A and CGG associated with strong dormancy. Collectively, our findings uncover a novel TaC3HC4-TaGASR25 module regulating seed dormancy and provide promising targets and molecular markers for the molecular breeding of PHS-resistant wheat varieties.