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Somatic Embryogenesis: The Molecular Network Regulating Embryo Formation

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Somatic Embryogenesis in Ornamentals and Its Applications

Abstract

Somatic embryogenesis in plants is a process by which embryos can be produced from somatic cells cultured under specific conditions. A key initial step is represented by the ability of some cells within the explants to dedifferentiate, i.e., reacquire a “young” or immature state, and then redirect their fate into an embryogenic pathway, demarked by precise changes in gene expression. While the initial morphological patterns of somatic embryo formation can be quite different and difficult to categorize, developing somatic embryos can be assigned similar stages ascribed to zygotic embryos. These similarities allow the utilization of somatic embryogenesis as a model system to investigate physiological and molecular events governing zygotic embryogenesis. The aim of this chapter is to provide a general overview of somatic embryogenesis, by describing and analyzing several in vitro embryogenic systems, and to decipher the molecular network responsible for the generation of somatic embryos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt, 31527

    Mohamed Elhiti

  2. Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Claudio Stasolla

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  1. Mohamed Elhiti
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  2. Claudio Stasolla
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Correspondence to Claudio Stasolla .

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  1. Department of Botany, Hamdard University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    A. Mujib

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Elhiti, M., Stasolla, C. (2016). Somatic Embryogenesis: The Molecular Network Regulating Embryo Formation. In: Mujib, A. (eds) Somatic Embryogenesis in Ornamentals and Its Applications. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2683-3_14

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