Gibberellic acid-mediated salt signaling in seed germination

Abstract

Seed germination initiates the postembryonic development of plants, which determines successful seedling establishment and plant propagation. It is therefore tightly regulated by diverse environmental conditions, including high salinity and drought, as well as by intrinsic developmental programs, among which gibberellic acid (GA) is best understood. Regulatory roles of GA in seed germination have been extensively studied. It is also known that high salinity inhibits germination by repressing genes encoding GA biosynthetic enzymes. However, it is still unclear how salt signals are coordinately incorporated into the GA signaling pathway at the molecular level. We recently demonstrated that a membrane-bound NAC transcription factor, NTL8, mediates salt signaling, primarily through a RGL2-independent GA pathway, in regulating seed germination. High salinity promotes NTL8 transcription and proteolytic activation of NTL8. Notably, the NTL8-mediated salt signaling is independent of abscisic acid (ABA). These observations indicate that membrane-mediated transcription control is an important component of salt signaling during seed germination.