Environmental and hormonal control of seed development and germination

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Plants face a multitude of biotic and abiotic stresses due to their sessile nature and have evolved various strategies through which they can effectively balance growth and defense against stressors. A strategy employed by plants is to maintain an appropriate hormone balance at any given moment. Plant hormones are small molecules whose signaling pathways interact, together forming a complex crosstalk network that regulates the plant’s response to environmental stressors. The hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is critical for initiating a stress response within the plant, inhibiting growth and promoting survival under various stresses. Regardless of the type of stress that plants are exposed to, the result is energy deprivation that activates energy sensors to maintain energy homeostasis. SnRK1 (Sucrose non-fermenting Related Kinase1) is the plant ortholog of yeast Snf1 and mammalian AMPK energy sensors. Notably, AMPK is a metabolic tumour suppressor, currently a target for cancer and diabetes treatment and prevention. SnRK1 activation induces large transcriptional reprogramming under metabolic stress to conserve energy. Despite the pivotal role of these essential kinase complexes in energy homeostasis, few targets are known. SnRK1 and ABA signaling pathways intersect during stress responses to promote survival, however, the mechanism of this interaction is unclear.