Hormone-response mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. impaired in somatic embryogenesis

Plant hormones are considered to be the key factors involved in triggering in vitro induced plant morphogenesis, including somatic embryogenesis (SE). Mutants affected in SE and altered in hormonal response therefore provide valuable material for genetic research on in vitro induced plant embryogenesis. The capacity for SE was studied in 27 mutants with defects in response to different plant hormones: auxin, ABA, gibberellin and cytokinin, and evaluated in 2-week-old mutant and wild-type cultures in terms of their efficiency and productivity. SE was induced in vitro via a direct morphogenic pathway, through the culture of immature zygotic embryos on standard solid medium with 5 μM 2,4-D. The majority of the analyzed mutants displayed a significantly impaired capacity for SE; and those affected belonged to several different hormone-defective groups, including forms affected in auxin (axr4), gibberellin (ga) and ABA (abi, hyl1, cpb20, abh1) response. These mutants showed a significant decrease in embryogenic response as manifested by a low efficiency and/or productivity of SE. Additionally, SE efficiency was analyzed for axr4-1 mutant on media supplemented with different auxins while GA₃ and inhibitors of gibberellins (uniconazol P and paclobutrazol), were applied for pkl1-1-mutant. The selected mutants provide a valuable research tool for studying the molecular mechanisms determining the induction of embryogenesis in cultures of somatic tissues. Their usefulness in further studies is discussed.