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Expression of abundant mRNAs during somatic embryogenesis of white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss]

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Abstract

Embryogenic tissues of white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] remain in an early developmental stage while cultured on 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and N6-benzyladenine, but develop to cotyledonary embryos when these phytohormones are replaced by abscisic acid. Twenty-eight cDNAs were isolated from cotyledonary embryos by differential screening against immature embryo and non-embryonic tissues. Temporal expression patterns of these cDNAs during ABA-stimulated somatic embryo development were observed. This showed that clones could be allocated to various groups, including embryo-abundant, embryo-maturation-induced, and those whose expression was modulated during embryo development, germination or in non-embryogenic tissues. Expression corresponding to these cDNA clones showed that there were various responses to exogenous ABA or polyethylene glycol during a period of 48 h. Analyses of DNA and predicted amino acid sequence revealed that 12 of 28 cDNA clones had no known homologues, while others were predicted to encode different late-embryogenesis-abundant proteins, early methionine-labelled proteins, storage proteins, heat-shock proteins, glycine-rich cell wall protein, metallothionein-like protein and some other metabolic enzymes.

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Abbreviations

2,4-D:

2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

ABA:

abscisic acid

BA:

N6-benzyladenine

cDNA:

complementary deoxyribonucleic acid

Em:

early methionine-labelled

HSP:

heat-shock protein

LEA:

late embryogenesis abundant

PEG:

polyethylene glycol

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council of Canada, Plant Biotechnology Institute, 110 Gymnasium Place, S7N OW9, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Jin-Zhuo Dong & David I. Dunstan

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  1. Jin-Zhuo Dong
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  2. David I. Dunstan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David I. Dunstan.

Additional information

The authors thank Mr. Terry Bethune for his assistance, and Dr. Larry Pelcher, Mr. Barry Panchuk and Mr. Don Schwab for DNA sequencing and primer synthesis. This is National Research Council of Canada publication number 38929.

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Dong, JZ., Dunstan, D.I. Expression of abundant mRNAs during somatic embryogenesis of white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss]. Planta 199, 459–466 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195740

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195740

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