Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense

Seed aging has adverse effects on agricultural production, mainly because seed vigor is inhibited. Spermidine can improve seed vitality and germination ability to a certain extent and is essential for plant growth and plant response to stress. This study explored how spermidine counteracted aging ef...

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Main Authors: Yifan Xing, Huan Zhang, Chunjuan Liu, Chang Liu, Yufei Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Antioxidants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/3/349
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author Yifan Xing
Huan Zhang
Chunjuan Liu
Chang Liu
Yufei Zhou
author_facet Yifan Xing
Huan Zhang
Chunjuan Liu
Chang Liu
Yufei Zhou
author_sort Yifan Xing
collection DOAJ
description Seed aging has adverse effects on agricultural production, mainly because seed vigor is inhibited. Spermidine can improve seed vitality and germination ability to a certain extent and is essential for plant growth and plant response to stress. This study explored how spermidine counteracted aging effects on sorghum seed germination through antioxidant metabolism regulation. Aged seeds showed decreased vigor due to heightened reactive oxygen species (ROS) and diminished antioxidants. Applying spermidine notably enhanced aged seeds’ germination and vigor by boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and curbing ROS. Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses demonstrated that the majority of differentially expressed genes following exogenous spermidine treatment in aged sorghum seeds were significantly enriched in pathways related to glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid, and flavonoid biosynthesis, resulting in increased expression of genes encoding peroxidase, chalcone synthase, and glutathione s-transferase. Exogenous spermidine facilitated the synthesis of peroxidases and glutathione transferases. Analysis of flavonoid pathway intermediates showed a notable increase in antioxidant metabolites like isoquercitrin, underscoring their role in oxidative stress resistance. This multi-omics strategy underscores Spd’s role in boosting aged seeds’ antioxidants, highlighting the molecular basis of seed aging and Spd’s rejuvenating impact.
format Article
id doaj-art-b80bcf109ff341408a8d1f7b2f84b0d5
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3921
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Antioxidants
spelling doaj-art-b80bcf109ff341408a8d1f7b2f84b0d52025-08-20T03:43:51ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212025-03-0114334910.3390/antiox14030349Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant DefenseYifan Xing0Huan Zhang1Chunjuan Liu2Chang Liu3Yufei Zhou4College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, ChinaSeed aging has adverse effects on agricultural production, mainly because seed vigor is inhibited. Spermidine can improve seed vitality and germination ability to a certain extent and is essential for plant growth and plant response to stress. This study explored how spermidine counteracted aging effects on sorghum seed germination through antioxidant metabolism regulation. Aged seeds showed decreased vigor due to heightened reactive oxygen species (ROS) and diminished antioxidants. Applying spermidine notably enhanced aged seeds’ germination and vigor by boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and curbing ROS. Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses demonstrated that the majority of differentially expressed genes following exogenous spermidine treatment in aged sorghum seeds were significantly enriched in pathways related to glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid, and flavonoid biosynthesis, resulting in increased expression of genes encoding peroxidase, chalcone synthase, and glutathione s-transferase. Exogenous spermidine facilitated the synthesis of peroxidases and glutathione transferases. Analysis of flavonoid pathway intermediates showed a notable increase in antioxidant metabolites like isoquercitrin, underscoring their role in oxidative stress resistance. This multi-omics strategy underscores Spd’s role in boosting aged seeds’ antioxidants, highlighting the molecular basis of seed aging and Spd’s rejuvenating impact.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/3/349<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> L.spermidineaged seedmulti-omicsROSantioxidants
spellingShingle Yifan Xing
Huan Zhang
Chunjuan Liu
Chang Liu
Yufei Zhou
Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
Antioxidants
<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> L.
spermidine
aged seed
multi-omics
ROS
antioxidants
title Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
title_full Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
title_fullStr Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
title_full_unstemmed Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
title_short Spermidine Revives Aged Sorghum Seed Germination by Boosting Antioxidant Defense
title_sort spermidine revives aged sorghum seed germination by boosting antioxidant defense
topic <i>Sorghum bicolor</i> L.
spermidine
aged seed
multi-omics
ROS
antioxidants
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/3/349
work_keys_str_mv AT yifanxing spermidinerevivesagedsorghumseedgerminationbyboostingantioxidantdefense
AT huanzhang spermidinerevivesagedsorghumseedgerminationbyboostingantioxidantdefense
AT chunjuanliu spermidinerevivesagedsorghumseedgerminationbyboostingantioxidantdefense
AT changliu spermidinerevivesagedsorghumseedgerminationbyboostingantioxidantdefense
AT yufeizhou spermidinerevivesagedsorghumseedgerminationbyboostingantioxidantdefense