Oligosaccharide Inhibits Ethylene Synthesis and Stimulates Somatic Embryogenesis in a Cotton Cell Culture

The effect of a three-component oligosaccharide fragment of xyloglucan FucGalXyl (XG3) on callus-tissue growth and somatic embryogenesis was investigated in a cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) cell suspension culture. The oligosaccharide introduced into an induction medium at 10^–8and 10^–7M concentrations did not affect the frequency of callus formation from hypocotyl segments; however, it enhanced the monthly increment of callus-tissue weight 1.5- and 3-fold, respectively. Induction and culturing of the callus on an XG3-containing medium adversely affected its morphogenetic potential. Addition of XG3 to the culture medium during the cell suspension preparation stimulated cell division resulting, after 40 days, in a 3.4-fold (at 10^–8M XG3) and a 1.7-fold (at 10^–7M XG3) increase in the cell number as compared to the control. Exclusion of 2,4-D, kinetin, and oligosaccharide from the culture medium caused, after two weeks, a 3.8-fold increase in the number of embryos in the 10^–7M XG3-treated suspension culture as compared to the control. The stimulation of somatic embryogenesis by the oligosaccharide was accompanied by a 12-fold decrease in ethylene emission. The morphogenetic effect of oligosaccharide is suggested to result from its anti-auxin action, which, in particular, inhibited the auxin-dependent ethylene synthesis.