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Chromosome number, genome size, seed storage protein profile and competence for direct somatic embryo formation in Algerian annual Medicago species

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Abstract

The genome size of eight species from different wild Algerian populations of diploid and one tetraploid Medicago L., initially analysed for chromosome numbers and seed storage proteins, has been assessed by flow cytometry. Genome size ranged from 2C = 0.94 pg in Medicago orbicularis (L.) Bartal. to 2C = 1.80 pg in Medicago laciniata (L.) Miller. The competence for direct somatic embryo formation in liquid medium was studied for 4 of these species having distinct genome sizes: M. orbicularis (2C = 0.94 pg); M. truncatula Gaertn. (2C = 1.08 pg); M. scutellata (L.) Miller (2C = 1.11 pg); M. arabica (L.) Huds. (2C = 1.22 pg). M. orbicularis, with the smallest genome size, formed somatic embryos most quickly, with a high frequency of reactive explants and with numerous somatic embryos per explant. It was followed by M. truncatula, M. scutellata and M. arabica, which in fact represents the order of increasing genome size.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Odile Robin for her competent assistance in karyology, and M. Labdi Mohamed of Experimental Station (ITGC, Sidi-Bel-Abbès) and M. Abdelguerfi Aissa of INA for plant material. The cytometry was done at Imagif now Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, with the help of Danièle De Nay. A Grant to FL from the International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, was appreciated. Anelia Iantcheva benefitted from a bourse d’excellence of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie and published part of this data in her research report on embryogenesis: Iantcheva et al. (2003) Biotechnol Equip 17:44–49.

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Author notes

  1. Anelia Iantcheva

    Present address: AgroBioInstitute, boulevard Dragan Tzankov 8, 1164, Sofia, Bulgaria

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la vie, Département de Biologie, Laboratoire de Génétique et Amélioration des Plantes, Université d’Oran-1 Ahmed Benbella, 31000, Oran, Algeria

    Fatima-Zohra Fyad-Lameche

  2. Institut des Sciences du Végétal, CNRS, UPR2355, avenue de la Terrasse, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Anelia Iantcheva

  3. Ecologie, Systématique, Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS UMR 8079, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91450, Orsay, France

    Sonja Siljak-Yakovlev

  4. Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR 9198, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud/CEA, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Spencer C. Brown

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  1. Fatima-Zohra Fyad-Lameche
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  2. Anelia Iantcheva
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  3. Sonja Siljak-Yakovlev
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  4. Spencer C. Brown
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Correspondence to Fatima-Zohra Fyad-Lameche.

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Fyad-Lameche, FZ., Iantcheva, A., Siljak-Yakovlev, S. et al. Chromosome number, genome size, seed storage protein profile and competence for direct somatic embryo formation in Algerian annual Medicago species. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 124, 531–540 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-015-0912-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-015-0912-2

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