High-frequency plant regeneration from cultured cotyledons of Arabidopsis thaliana

Wild-type plants of Arabidopsis thaliana strain Columbia regenerated at a high frequency from immature cotyledons cultured on a shoot-inducing medium containing 1.0 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine and 0.1 mg/l 1-naphthaleneacetic acid. Cotyledon segments expanded rapidly and produced numerous shoots after 2–3 weeks in culture. Regeneration occurred in the absence of the original shoot apex. Hypocotyl segments from immature embryos produced root hairs and callus in culture but only rarely developed shoots. Hygromycin, kanamycin and G-418 inhibited cotyledon expansion and shoot formation in culture. Vancomycin was much less toxic to cotyledon segments than either carbenicillin or cefotaxime. Immature cotyledons therefore yield numerous regenerated plants that may be useful in future transformation studies.