Editing Seed (section)

=== Repair of DNA damage ===
During seed [[dormancy]], often associated with unpredictable and stressful environments, [[DNA repair#DNA damage|DNA damage]] accumulates as the seeds age.<ref name=Cheah>{{cite journal |author1=Cheah KS |author2=Osborne DJ |title=DNA lesions occur with loss of viability in embryos of ageing rye seed |journal=Nature |volume=272 |issue=5654 |pages=593–599 |date=April 1978  |pmid=19213149 |doi= 10.1038/272593a0|bibcode=1978Natur.272..593C |s2cid=4208828 }}</ref><ref name=Koppen>{{cite journal |author1=Koppen G |author2=Verschaeve L |title=The alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis/comet assay: a way to study DNA repair in radicle cells of germinating ''Vicia faba'' |journal=Folia Biol. (Praha) |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=50–54 |year=2001 |pmid=11321247 }}</ref><ref name="pmid16313635">{{cite journal |author1=Bray CM |author2=West CE |title=DNA repair mechanisms in plants: crucial sensors and effectors for the maintenance of genome integrity |journal=New Phytol. |volume=168 |issue=3 |pages=511–528 |date=December 2005  |pmid=16313635 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01548.x |doi-access= |bibcode=2005NewPh.168..511B }}</ref> In [[rye]] seeds, the reduction of DNA integrity due to damage is associated with loss of seed viability during storage.<ref name=Cheah /> Upon germination, seeds of ''[[Vicia faba]]'' undergo [[DNA repair]].<ref name=Koppen /> A plant DNA [[ligase]] that is involved in repair of single- and double-strand breaks during seed germination is an important determinant of seed longevity.<ref name="pmid20584150">{{cite journal |author1=Waterworth WM |author2=Masnavi G |author3=Bhardwaj RM |author4=Jiang Q |author5=Bray CM |author6=West CE |title=A plant DNA ligase is an important determinant of seed longevity |journal=Plant J. |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages=848–860 |date=September 2010  |pmid=20584150 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-313X.2010.04285.x |doi-access=free }}</ref> Also, in [[Arabidopsis]] seeds, the activities of the DNA repair enzymes [[Poly ADP ribose polymerase]]s (PARP) are likely needed for successful germination.<ref name="pmid17587307">{{cite journal |author1=Hunt L |author2=Holdsworth MJ |author3=Gray JE |title=Nicotinamidase activity is important for germination |journal=Plant J. |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=341–351 |date=August 2007  |pmid=17587307 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-313X.2007.03151.x }}</ref> Thus DNA damages that accumulate during [[dormancy]] appear to be a problem for seed survival, and the enzymatic repair of DNA damages during germination appears to be important for seed viability.