Relationship between mitochondrial changes and seed aging as a limitation of viability for the storage of beech seed (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Arleta Małecka; Liliana Ciszewska; Aleksandra Staszak; Ewelina Ratajczak

doi:10.7717/peerj.10569

Relationship between mitochondrial changes and seed aging as a limitation of viability for the storage of beech seed (Fagus sylvatica L.)

PeerJ. 2021 Jan 19:9:e10569. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10569. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Arleta Małecka^#¹, Liliana Ciszewska², Aleksandra Staszak³, Ewelina Ratajczak^#⁴

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Biotechnology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
² Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
³ Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
⁴ Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Aging is one of the most fundamental biological processes occurring in all forms of eukaryotic life. Beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) produce seeds in intervals of 5-10 years. Its yearly seed yield is usually very low, so there is a need for long-term seed storage to enable propagation of this species upon demand. Seeds for sowing must be of high quality but they are not easy to store without viability loss. Understanding the mechanism responsible for seed aging is therefore very important. We observed the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria of embryonic axes and cotyledons of beech seeds during natural aging. The presence of ROS led to changes in compromised mitochondrial membrane integrity and in mitochondrial metabolism and morphology. In this study, we pointed to the involvement of mitochondria in the natural aging process of beech seeds, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this involvement are still unknown.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Common beech; Mitochondria; Seed storage.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Center of Sciences Poland (Grant Number 2018/31/B/NZ9/01548). Additional funding was provided by the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.