Advances in seed 'omics.

Seeds provide 70% of the global food supply, making them crucial for food security. Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing seed development, dormancy, and germination has become increasingly urgent as climate change impacts crop productivity. Over the last three years, 'omics technologies have transformed our understanding of seed biology through comprehensive molecular profiling at unprecedented resolution.

Establishment of single-cell transcriptional states during seed germination.

Germination involves highly dynamic transcriptional programs as the cells of seeds reactivate and express the functions necessary for establishment in the environment. Individual cell types have distinct roles within the embryo, so must therefore have cell type-specific gene expression and gene regulatory networks. We can better understand how the functions of different cell types are established and contribute to the embryo by determining how cell type-specific transcription begins and changes through germination.