Seed germination is regulated by environmental factors, particularly water availability. Water deficits at the time of sowing impair the establishment of crop plants. Transcriptome and proteome profiling was used to document the responses of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds to moderate water stress during germination in two hybrids that are nominally classed as drought sensitive and drought tolerant. Differences in the water stress-dependent accumulation reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes activities were observed between the hybrids. A pathway-based analysis of the hybrid transcriptomes demonstrated that the water stress-dependent responses of seed metabolism were similar to those of the plant, with a decreased abundance of transcripts encoding proteins associated with metabolism and cell expansion. Moreover, germination under water stress conditions was associated with increased levels of transcripts encoding heat shock proteins. Exposure of germinating seeds to water stress specifically affected the abundance of a small number of proteins, including heat shock proteins. Taken together, these data not only identify factors that are likely to play a key role in drought tolerance during seed germination, but they also demonstrate the importance of the female parent in the transmission of water stress tolerance.

中文翻译：

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一种多尺度方法揭示了发芽过程中种子中水分胁迫反应的调节因子。

种子发芽受环境因素，尤其是水的可利用性调节。播种时缺水会损害农作物的生长。转录组和蛋白质组图谱用于记录向日葵（Helianthus annuus）种子发芽期间对中等水分胁迫的响应，这两个杂种名义上被分类为干旱敏感和耐旱的。在杂种之间观察到水分胁迫依赖性积累的活性氧和抗氧化酶活性的差异。基于路径的杂种转录组分析表明，种子代谢的水分胁迫依赖性反应与植物相似，编码与代谢和细胞扩张相关的蛋白质的转录本减少。此外，水分胁迫条件下的发芽与编码热激蛋白的转录物水平升高有关。使发芽的种子暴露于水分胁迫下会特别影响少量蛋白质（包括热激蛋白质）的丰度。综上所述，这些数据不仅确定了可能在种子萌发期间的耐旱性中发挥关键作用的因素，而且还证明了母本在水分胁迫耐性传递中的重要性。