Effects of ethylene on somatic embryogenesis and galanthamine content in Leucojum aestivum L. cultures.

Ptak, A.; El. Tahchy, A.; Wyżgolik, G.; Henry, M.; Laurain-Mattar, D.

The influence of ethylene on in vitro morphogenesis of Leucojum aestivum and galanthamine accumulation was studied. Calli were cultivated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 25 μM 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) and 0.5 μM benzyladenine (BA). During incubation under these conditions, callus cultures produced ethylene (9.5 nL/g fresh weight: F.W.) whereas no ethylene was found in somatic embryos cultivated on medium supplemented with 0.5 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 5 μM zeatin. Application of the precursor of ethylene 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) increased ethylene production in both cultures, and decreased callus growth by a factor of 1.2, whereas callus growth was enhanced by a factor of 1.1 in the presence of an inhibitor of ethylene silver nitrate (AgNO3) or by a factor of 1.2 with an absorbent potassium permanganate (KMnO4). ACC enhanced the induction of somatic embryos and the development of globular embryos. Removal of ethylene by KMnO4 during somatic embryogenesis led to the development of plants with greater length. Silver thiosulphate (STS) induced galanthamine production in callus cultures (0.1% dry weight), whereas ACC induced galanthamine production in somatic embryo cultures (2% dry weight).

ETHYLENE; SOMATIC embryogenesis; PLANT cell culture; ALKALOIDS; SILVER nitrate; SNOWFLAKES

Plant Cell, Tissue & Organ Culture, 2010, Vol 102, Issue 1, p61

0167-6857

Academic Journal

10.1007/s11240-010-9706-8