Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism
Safflower (<i>Carthamus tinctorius</i> L.) seeds, rich in triacylglycerols, have poor fatty acid-to-sugar conversion during storage, affecting longevity and vigor. Previous experiments have shown that the aging of safflower seeds is mainly related to the impairment of energy metabolism p...
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2025-07-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| author | Tang Lv Lin Zhong Juan Li Cuiping Chen Bin Xian Tao Zhou Chaoxiang Ren Jiang Chen Jin Pei Jie Yan |
| author_facet | Tang Lv Lin Zhong Juan Li Cuiping Chen Bin Xian Tao Zhou Chaoxiang Ren Jiang Chen Jin Pei Jie Yan |
| author_sort | Tang Lv |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Safflower (<i>Carthamus tinctorius</i> L.) seeds, rich in triacylglycerols, have poor fatty acid-to-sugar conversion during storage, affecting longevity and vigor. Previous experiments have shown that the aging of safflower seeds is mainly related to the impairment of energy metabolism pathways such as glycolysis, fatty acid degradation, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The treatment with exogenous sucrose can partially promote the germination of aged seeds. However, the specific pathways through which exogenous sucrose promotes the germination of aged safflower seeds have not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism by which exogenous sucrose enhances the vitality of aged seeds. Phenotypically, it promoted germination and seedling establishment in CDT-aged seeds but not in unaged ones. Biochemical analyses revealed increased soluble sugars and fatty acids in aged seeds with sucrose treatment. Enzyme activity and transcriptome sequencing showed up-regulation of key enzymes and genes in related metabolic pathways in aged seeds, not in unaged ones. qPCR confirmed up-regulation of genes for triacylglycerol and fatty acid-to-sugar conversion. Transmission electron microscopy showed a stronger connection between the glyoxylate recycler and oil bodies, accelerating oil body degradation. In conclusion, our research shows that exogenous sucrose promotes aged safflower seed germination by facilitating triacylglycerol hydrolysis, fatty acid conversion, and glycometabolism, rather than simply serving as a source of energy to supplement the energy deficiency of aged seeds. These findings offer practical insights for aged seeds, especially offering an effective solution to the aging problem of seeds with high oil content. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac0693e9b26e49b5becefa39b2ec15e4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac0693e9b26e49b5becefa39b2ec15e42025-08-20T03:02:58ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-07-011415230110.3390/plants14152301Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and GlycometabolismTang Lv0Lin Zhong1Juan Li2Cuiping Chen3Bin Xian4Tao Zhou5Chaoxiang Ren6Jiang Chen7Jin Pei8Jie Yan9State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaSafflower (<i>Carthamus tinctorius</i> L.) seeds, rich in triacylglycerols, have poor fatty acid-to-sugar conversion during storage, affecting longevity and vigor. Previous experiments have shown that the aging of safflower seeds is mainly related to the impairment of energy metabolism pathways such as glycolysis, fatty acid degradation, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The treatment with exogenous sucrose can partially promote the germination of aged seeds. However, the specific pathways through which exogenous sucrose promotes the germination of aged safflower seeds have not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism by which exogenous sucrose enhances the vitality of aged seeds. Phenotypically, it promoted germination and seedling establishment in CDT-aged seeds but not in unaged ones. Biochemical analyses revealed increased soluble sugars and fatty acids in aged seeds with sucrose treatment. Enzyme activity and transcriptome sequencing showed up-regulation of key enzymes and genes in related metabolic pathways in aged seeds, not in unaged ones. qPCR confirmed up-regulation of genes for triacylglycerol and fatty acid-to-sugar conversion. Transmission electron microscopy showed a stronger connection between the glyoxylate recycler and oil bodies, accelerating oil body degradation. In conclusion, our research shows that exogenous sucrose promotes aged safflower seed germination by facilitating triacylglycerol hydrolysis, fatty acid conversion, and glycometabolism, rather than simply serving as a source of energy to supplement the energy deficiency of aged seeds. These findings offer practical insights for aged seeds, especially offering an effective solution to the aging problem of seeds with high oil content.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2301aged safflower seedexogenous sucrosedifferentially expression genesglycometabolismgerminationcontrolled deterioration treatment |
| spellingShingle | Tang Lv Lin Zhong Juan Li Cuiping Chen Bin Xian Tao Zhou Chaoxiang Ren Jiang Chen Jin Pei Jie Yan Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism Plants aged safflower seed exogenous sucrose differentially expression genes glycometabolism germination controlled deterioration treatment |
| title | Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism |
| title_full | Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism |
| title_fullStr | Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism |
| title_short | Exogenous Sucrose Improves the Vigor of Aged Safflower Seeds by Mediating Fatty Acid Metabolism and Glycometabolism |
| title_sort | exogenous sucrose improves the vigor of aged safflower seeds by mediating fatty acid metabolism and glycometabolism |
| topic | aged safflower seed exogenous sucrose differentially expression genes glycometabolism germination controlled deterioration treatment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2301 |
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