Steroidal alkaloids in tissue cultures and regenerated plants of Solanum dulcamara

Callus and cell suspension cultures were established with shoots of the soladulcidine variety of the bittersweet Solanum dulcamara L. Plantlets were regenerated from undifferentiated callus. From mixotrophic callus as well as mixotrophic suspension cultures soladulicidine, solasodine and the corresponding neutral spirostanes tigogenin and diosgenin were isolated and identified by thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry. Total alkaloid concentrations were about 0.2 mg/g dry weight (callus) and 0.1 mg/g dry weight (green suspension cultures). In the heterotrophic cell line only the neutral sapogenins could be detected. Alkaloid accumulation in callus of Solanum dulcamara could be enhanced by the induction of organogenesis. The shoots of the regenerated plants from the mixotrophic callus contained soladulcidine (1.6 mg/g dry weight) and tigogenin. Thus, in concentration and composition the regenerated plants equalled the source plant.Abbreviations 2.4-D 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - NAA naphthylacetic acid - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - TLC thin layer chromatography     

A parenchymatic medium solidifier for plant in vitro culture

A new material for the solidification of liquid culture media was prepared from plant parenchyma tissues by mechanical subdivision, solute extration and dessication from ethanol. It is suitable for in vitro culture and propagation of callus as well as shoot tip cultures. The following plant materials have been grown by means of the new medium solidifier: shoot cultures of Betula pendula Roth, Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex Hook and Floribunda rose "Triumph", callus tissues of Daucus carota L. and Chenopodium album L. The new solidifying material has special advantages over agar for application in the rooting phase of in vitro propagation.Abbrevations PMS parenchymatic medium solidifier - MS Murashige and Scoog's medium - IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - B biotin - K kinetin - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - ch caseine hydrolysate     

Plant regeneration from mesophyll protoplasts of Centaurea cyanus,Senecio x hybridus and Callistephus chinensis

Protoplasts were isolated from leaves of glasshouse-grown plants of Centaurea cyanus and axenic shoot cultures of Senecio x hybridus. Upon culture, using modified MS-based media, protoplasts of both systems entered division to produce callus, followed by plant regeneration. Leaf protoplasts of Callistephus chinensis entered sustained division only following the preconditioning for 24h of peeled leaf tissues on agar-solidified MS-based medium. Protoplasts were also isolated from cell suspensions of C. chinensis and divided in MS-based or KM media. However, only leaf mesophyll protoplasts of Callistephus produced callus, which developed shoots.The establishment of protoplast-to-plant protocols for these ornamental species has provided a basis for broadening their gene pools through somatic hybridisation.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - KM Kao and Michayluk (1975) - g.f.wt. gram fresh weight     

Studies on endosperm culture of Annona squamosa Linn

Mature endosperm tissue excised from germinated seeds (2–4 days after radicle emergence) of Annona squamosa grew and proliferated on White's basal medium supplemented with two cytokinins, an auxin and gibberellic acid. The callus obtained could be periodically subcultured. Shoot differentiation and root induction were obtained from callus on media of different compositions. Analyses of the root and young leaf tips showed triploid number of chromosomes (3n=21).Abbreviations Kin Kinetin - BAP 6-Benzylaminopurine - IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - IBA Indole-3-butyric acid - NAA naphthalene abetic acid - GA₃ Gibberellic acid Communication No. 3885     

An assessment of the cultural capabilities of protoplasts of some wild species of linum

Protoplasts of several wildLinum species were isolated enzymatically from roots, hypocotyls and cotyledons of seedlings, and also from theirin vitro grown shoots and cell suspension cultures. When cultured all these protoplasts divided to produce callus but only good plant regeneration capability was evident in the case ofLinum lewissii and to a much lesser extent forL. strictum. Only rhizogenesis was observed withL. alpinum, L. narbonense, L. grandiflorum andL. altaicum. The high plant regeneration capacity ofL. lewissii from protoplast -derived tissues ofin vitro shoots and cell suspension cultures makes this species an attractive experimental system for somatic genetic manipulation.Abbreviations BAP benzylaminopurine - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - CPW cell and protoplast wash solution - gFW gram fresh weight On leave from Department of Crop Sciences University of Alexandria Egypt     

Plant regeneration by somatic embryogenesis from callus cultures of sweet sorghum

Tissue culture methods were developed for the induction, maintenance, and regeneration of embryogenic callus in sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cultivars Keller, Rio, and Wray. No significant differences were observed in production of embryogenic callus in cultures established from developmentally immature or mature embryo explants cultured on LS medium with 2 mg/1 2,4-D plus 0.5 mg/1 kinetin. Prolific callus production did not occur until the third four-week culture period. Long-term maintenance of embryogenic callus was dependent upon the selective transfer of embryogenic callus, with other callus types discarded. High-frequency plant regeneration was achieved and quantified on a fresh weight basis of embryogenic callus.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - BA benzyladenine - IAA indoleacetic acid - IBA indolebutyric acid - LS Linsmaier and Skoog basal medium (Linsmaier and Skoog, 1965)     

Morphogenesis and plant regeneration from cultured endosperm of Emblica officinalis Gaertn

Mature endosperm of Emblica Officinalis (Euphorbiaceae) formed a continously growing callus on MS medium supplemented with an auxin (2,4-D or IAA) and a cytokinin (K or BAP). Subculture of callus on MS with BAP (0.2 mg/l) and IAA (0.1 mg/l) resulted in formation of shoots and embryo-like structures in 50 and 8 per cent cultures, respectively. Regeneration of shoots was more frequent when both BAP (0.2 mg/l) and IAA (0.1 mg/l) were present than on BAP (0.2 mg/l) alone. The embryo-like structures produced plantlets.Abbreviations BAP benzylaminopurine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid - IAA indoleacetic acid - K kinetin - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - PDB para-dichlorobenzene (née Arora)     

Callus culture from hypocotyls of Kosteletzkya virginica (L.) seedlings

It was shown that callus established from Kosteletzkya virginica (L.) Presl. (Malvaceae) can grow in salinities higher than 200 mM NaCl if previously accomodated stepwise. Callus lines developed from seedlings of different harvests or of the same harvest at different times, all showed the same pattern of growth and sensitiviy to salinity. The absorption of Na⁺ into the callus increased with increasing external NaCl concentration. In the callus, Na⁺ was apparently distributed outside and inside a cellular membrane (possibly the plasmalemma). This membrane was, apparently, capable of regulating the Na⁺ concentration in the protoplast. Outside this membrane Na⁺ accumulated to concentrations higher than in the external growth medium. Exogenously supplied proline or glycine-betaine did not affect the growth of the callus. Externally applied ABA stimulated growth under saline conditions and increased the accumulation of proline. Growth and proline content were positively correlated in callus exposed to salinity, but in the presence of ABA they were negatively correlated. ABA was involved in both growth and proline accumulation, but there was no clear relationship between these two effects. Both ABA and proline, if added to the growth medium, improved the appearence of the callus.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - B₅ Gamborg's medium - BA benzylalanine - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid - FW fresh weight - G B₅ medium without growth regulators - GH B₅ medium supplemented with growth regulators - NAA naphthalene acetic acid - PGR plant growth regulators - Q _T total amount of a certain ion in the tissue - Q _s amount of the ion that has leaked out - QAC Quaternarty Ammonium Compounds - RGR mean relative growth rate - W₁ and W₂ fresh weight at times t₁ and t₂     

Callus induction and high frequency plant regeneration in Italian millet (Setaria italica)

Callus was induced from mature seeds of two cultivars of Setaria italica (L.) on Murashige and Skoog's medium (1962) supplemented with 2mg/l 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/l KN. Regenerating ability of the callus was better in the cultivar 315 compared to 212. Organogenesis was influenced not only by cytokinin, but also by the sucrose concentration in the medium. High frequency (80%) plant regeneration was achieved and quantified on the basis of callus fresh weight. The ability of the callus (cultivar 212) to regenerate whole plants was retained until the 5th passage, but during the 6th passage it declined considerably.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - KN Kinetin - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - MS Murashige and Skoog basal medium     

Marker proteins for embryogenic differentiation patterns in pea callus

Polypeptide pattern alterations during somatic embryogenesis were investigated using callus cultures of two Pisum sativum genotypes. Both genotypes show the formation of two different callus lines from the same explant after six to eight weeks in culture: a nodular yellowish callus line, which forms somatic embryoids in suspension cultures (e⁺) and a white compact callus line with no regenerative capacity (e^–). The cytosol proteins of the two different callus lines were separated in a semi-preparative two-dimensional system and the polypeptide patterns were compared. Two protein bands were found (P1: M_r=45000 D, pI=7.0–7.1; P2: M_r=7000 D, pI=<4.5), which were characteristic of the putatively embryogenic (e⁺) callus line in all tissues investigated (two genotypes × two explant sources). These proteins found in nodular (e⁺) pea cultures are very similar to two proteins found in Daucus carota suspension cultures preceding the formation of somatic embryos.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyl-aminopurine - Bistris 2-(bis(2-hydroxyethyl)imino)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1.3-propanediol - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - pI isoelectric point - TCA trichloroacetic acid - Tris tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts of Felicia and Brachycome

Protoplasts were isolated from leaves of axenic shoot cultures of Felicia bergeriana (Kingfisher Daisy) and Brachycome iberidifolia (Swan River Daisy) and from callus cultures of Felicia. Plants were regenerated from all three sources and since both species are of ornamental value (blue flowered) the establishment of plant regeneration provides a basis for their incorporation in somatic hybridisation programmes involving important ornamentals such as Chrysanthemum.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - KIN 6-furfurylaminopurine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - FDA fluorescein diacetate - f. wt. fresh weight     

Interspecific somatic hybrids ofRudbeckia hirta andR. Laciniata (Compositae)

Interspecific somatic hybrid plants betweenRudbeckia hirta cv. Marmalade andR.laciniata cv. Irish Eyes were regenerated following the electro-fusion of mesophyll protoplasts ofR.hirta with callus protoplasts ofR.laciniata. A hybrid selection scheme was based on the fact that plant regeneration, from parental protoplasts ofR.hirta, was via shoot regeneration of callus, and only via rhizogenesis forR.laciniata. The other half of the selection strategy was based on the presence of anthocyanin-pigmented roots; a characteristic of theR.hirta parent only. Somatic hybrids were regenerated, via rhizogenesis, alongside normalR.laciniata but were distinguished by the presence of pigmented roots (a feature ofR.hirta). Hybrid plants had a floral morphology that was intermediate as compared to that of the two parents, with an expected somatic chromosome number of 2n=(2x+4x)=74. Pollen viability though was low. Esterase and peroxidase isozyme profiles confirmed the hybrid nature of the regenerated plants with pigmented roots, whilst chloroplast DNA restriction analysis showed that these hybrids had aR.laciniata chloroplast DNA. This demonstration of somatic hybridisation not only opens up the possibility of incorporating novel traits between such ornamentalCompositae species, but provides a selection strategy based on rhizogenesis as the route to plant regeneration coupled with heritable pigmentation production of roots as a confirmatory hybrid marker.ABBREVIATIONS BSA bovine serum albumin - EDTA ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid - FDA fluorescein diacetate - f.wt. fresh weight - IAA indole 3-acetic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium - TEMED N,N,N,N-Tetra methyl ethylene diamine - TES (N-tris (hydroxymethyl) methyl-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid)     

Growth and differentiation of callus cultures of Pinus

Segments of hypocotyl and cotyledons of aseptically-grown seedlings of Pinus strobus L. (white pine) and P. echinata Mill (shortleaf pine) were used as explants for establishing tissue cultures. Growth and differentiation of callus were studied on a modified Murashige and Skoog's medium containing nutrients and plant growth regulators. Meristems below the surface of callus tissue of P. strobus could be induced on media supplemented with -naphthaleneacetic acid alone or in combination with certain other plant growth regulators. Occasionally, differentiation of shoot buds also occurred on callus cultures. These shoot buds could be grown in vitro but roots did not develop.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - BA 6-Benzyl-aminopurine - 2-ip N⁶-(²-isopentanyl)-adenine - GD Gresshoff and Doy's medium - GE Gamborg and Eveleigh's medium - MS Modified Murashige and Skoog's medium - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - SC Sommer and Caldas' medium - TIBA 2,3,5-Triiodobenzoic acid     

Plant regeneration from in vitro cultures of anthers and mature seeds of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Basmati-370

Pollen plants were obtained from anther-derived calli of the indica rice variety Basmati-370. Anther-response (anthers producing pollen derived calli) and plant regeneration frequency from the pollen derived calli. was very low. Donor plants which flowered at the average max/min. temperature of 34.2°/23.3°C gave a significantly higher anther-response to in vitro techniques, than did those which flowered at 29.1°/16.4°C. Somatic callus induction and subsequent plant regeneration was readily obtained from mature seed embryos. While 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T (1 or 2 mg/l) proved highly efficient for callus induction, tryptophan (50 or 100 mg/l) induced a high frequency of green plants from the calli.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - 2,4,5-T 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - IAA indoleacetic acid - K kinetin - BA benzyladenine - Trp tryptophan - CW coconut water     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts of Dimorphotheca and Rudbeckia

Protoplasts were isolated from leaves, shoots, cotyledons, ray florets and callus cultures of Dimorphotheca aurantiaca (syn. D. sinuata) (Cape Marigold, Star of the Veldt) and Rudbeckia hirta, R. laciniata and R. purpurea; species of ornamental value. For Dimorphotheca, plants were regenerated from protoplasts of all sources apart from the ray floret, whilst for the Rudbeckia species, although protoplast division was induced in most cases, only leaf mesophyll protoplasts of R. hirta c.v. Marmalade gave plants. The establishment of plant regeneration for these ornamental species, from protoplasts, now provides a basis for their somatic hybridisation.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - K kinetin - GA₃ gibberellic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - f.wt. fresh weight     

Anther culture in rice: IV. The effect of abscisic acid on plant regeneration

The effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on plant regeneration in anther-derived calli of rice Oryza sativa L. varieties Taipei 177, Taipei 309 and Fujisaka 5 was studied.ABA at concentrations up to 4×10^–6 M stimulated fresh weight increase in Taipei 309 and Fujisaka 5 while higher concentrations effected corresponding weight decreases in the three varieties tested. Relatively high ABA concentrations resulted in decreased callus size and production of more compact and whitish calli. ABA increased the frequency of calli producing green plants in Taipei 309 and the average green plant regeneration in all varieties tested.Abbreviations ABA Abscisic acid - K Kinetin - NAA Naphthalene acetic acid     

Improved plant regeneration from maize callus cultures using 6-benzylaminopurine

A new protocol for regenerating plants from cultured type I callus of the maize (Zea mays L.) inbred Pa91 includes growing the callus on medium containing 3.5 mg/l (15.5 M) of the cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (6BA) for 3 to 6 d and then moving the callus to medium containing no growth regulators (H medium) for an additional 15 to 21 d, where the plants actually develop. The number of plants regenerated from the 6BA treated callus was 113% to 148% greater than the number of plants produced from callus placed directly on H medium. This increased plant regeneration induced by 6BA seemed to maximize the number of plants regenerated from a gram of callus and was slightly affected by callus age or prior treatment of callus with AgNO₃. Exposure to 6BA for 9 d greatly reduced shoot and root development, and longer exposures totally prevented root formation. This inhibition of root formation could be reversed only slightly by naphthaleneacetic acid. The data indicate that high concentrations of 6BA are effective for increasing plant regeneration from maize callus cultures when short exposure times are used. This procedure has also been effective for regenerating many plants from the inbreds H99 and Mo17.Abbreviations 6BA 6-Benzylaminopurine - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA Naphthaleneacetic Acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - dicamba 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid - GA₃ Gibberellic acid - gfw gram fresh weight     

Tissue culture of Chrysosplenium americanum and its potential for flavonoid production

Chrysosplenium americanum (Saxifragaceae) accumulates a variety of partially O-methylated flavonol glucosides. Because of the semi-aquatic nature of this plant and its extensive contamination with endogenous organisms, the initiation of shoot and callus cultures could only be achieved after (a) using a special surface sterilization procedure, (b) production of new shoots from initial explants, and (c) selective elimination of organogenic structures during several subcultures. HPLC analysis of the cultured tissues established the presence of a number of flavonoids characteristic of the intact plant, though in lower and variable concentrations. However, shoot and callus cultures exhibited flavonoid profiles similar to those of the intact leaves and roots, respectively.Abbreviations BAP benzylamino purine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - IAA 3-indoleacetic acid - NAA 1-naphtaleneacetic acid - HPLC high pressure liquid chromatography     

Effect of l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid,silver nitrate,and norbornadiene on plant regeneration from maize callus cultures

The effect of the ethylene antagonists norbornadiene and silver nitrate and the ethylene precursor l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (ACC) on Zea mays plant regeneration was studied. A 12-fold increase in plant regeneration, as measured by number of plants obtained per gram fresh weight from callus cultures of maize inbreds Pa91 and H99, was obtained by 250 M norbornadiene and 100 M silver nitrate treatments. An increase in amout of nonregenerable tissue and a 68% decrease in plant regeneration were associated with callus treated with 1 mM ACC. Ethylene emanation from 1 mM ACC treated callus reached a maximum of 170 nl g^–1 h^–1 after 3 days compared to 7 nl g^–1 h^–1 for the control. The free proline content was up to 80% lower in 1 mM ACC treated callus grown for 30 days on medium with or without 12 mM proline, respectively, as compared to each control. These studies indicate that ethylene action inhibitors such as norbornadiene and silver nitrate can be used to increase plant regeneration efficiency from maize callus cultures.Abbreviations ACC l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid - gfw gram fresh weight