A time-resolved transcriptome analysis reveals regulation of Arabidopsis seed dormancy by the transcription factors WOX11/12.

Seed dormancy accumulation and release is a finely regulated genetic program controlled by various environmental and developmental cues that are critical for plant survival and expansion. Light plays a key role in seed dormancy and germination, whereas the molecular mechanism underlying how light controls dormancy level is unclear. In the present study, WOX11 was identified as a hub transcription factor during the seed dormancy induction and release stages by high-resolution temporal RNA-Seq in Arabidopsis. This gene may have evolved from gymnosperms and expanded in angiosperms with highly conserved expression patterns in seeds. WOX11 and its homolog WOX12 were highly expressed from 2 days after pollination, and mRNA abundance was highly increased in the seed dormancy induction and release stages. We further demonstrated that WOX11 plays a role in the regulation of seed dormancy downstream of PHYB-mediated red light signaling during the seed dormancy accumulation stage, which indicates that WOX11/12 are newly identified components of red light signaling transduction and have roles in seed dormancy regulation. Altogether, our results suggested that WOX11/12-mediated PHYB signaling regulates seed dormancy in Arabidopsis, providing insight into the developmental regulation and evolutionary adaptation of plants to light environment changes.