Advances in the molecular biology study of seed aging

It is necessary to develop the agricultural production of seeds which are considered as basic materials. However, seed aging leads to a decline in seed quality and ultimately to the loss of seed vitality, which causes huge economic losses in agricultural production. Thus, it is very important to conduct research on the aging mechanism, in order to identify suitable methods to control seed aging. Currently, most studies on seed aging focus on physiological and biochemical changes. It is possible to accurately determine the aging mechanism by using the techniques of molecular biotechnology, which are rapidly developing. This paper summarizes the achievements of molecular biology studies on seed aging. The genetic integrity of seeds was found to be lower after aging. Genes related to energy metabolism, signal transduction, stimulus-response, and the glycolytic pathway, among others, were differentially expressed after seed aging. Some genes that participate in lipid peroxidation and repair of DNA damage were identified. Developing trends in the study of the seed aging mechanism are also discussed. Localization of proteins and mRNAs, gene function analysis, and characterization of the signal transduction pathways will be important areas of focus in the future.