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Female parthenogenetic apomixis and androsporogenetic parthenogenesis in embryonal cells of Araucaria angustifolia: interpolation of progenesis and asexual heterospory in an artificial sporangium

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Abstract

Cell fate, development timing and occurrence of reproductive versus apomictic development in gymnosperms are shown to be influenced by culture conditions in vitro. In this study, female parthenogenetic apomixis (fPA), androsporogenetic parthenogenesis (mAP) and progenesis were demonstrated using embryonal initials of Araucaria angustifolia in scaled-up cell suspensions passing through a single-cell bottleneck in darkness and in an artificial sporangium (AS). Expression was based on defined nutrition, hormones and feedforward-adaptive feedback process controls at 23–25 °C and in darkness. In fPA, the nucleus of an embryonal initial undergoes endomitosis and amitosis, forming a diploid egg-equivalent and an apoptotic ventral canal nucleus in a transdifferentiated archegonial tube. Discharge of egg-equivalent cells as parthenospores and their dispersal into the aqueous culture medium were followed by free-nuclear conifer-type proembryogenesis. This replaced the plesiomorphic and central features of proembryogenesis in Araucariaceae. Protoplasmic fusions of embryonal initials were used to reconstruct heterokaryotic expressions of fPA in multiwell plates. In mAP, restitutional meiosis (automixis) was responsible for androsporogenesis and the discharge of monads, dyads, tetrads and polyads. In a display of progenesis, reproductive development was brought to an earlier ontogenetic stage and expressed by embryonal initials. Colchicine increased polyploidy, but androspore formation became aberrant and fragmented. Aberrant automixis led to the formation of chromosomal bouquets, which contributed to genomic silencing in embryonal initials, cytomixis and the formation of pycnotic micronucleated cells. Dispersal of female and male parthenospores displayed heteromorphic asexual heterospory in an aqueous environment.

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Acknowledgments

Miguel Guerra provided cultures of Araucaria and images of early somatic embryos rescued from seeds. Ladi Havel provided the protoplast observations. Frank Ventimiglia at Davis and Theresa Scorano from Nuti Ronchi’s laboratory carried out cytological staining with suspension culture runs in nippled flasks. The late Gaylor Stebbins and Ernest Gifford provided encouragement for this study. The late Prem Dogra offered insights and reprints of his research on conifer parthenogenesis while visiting Davis. The late F.C. Steward and Adrian Srb (Cornell) provided training in expressions of plant cell totipotency in nippled flasks and on the utility of heterokaryotic assays. Studies with tritiated water and nitrogen metabolism in conifers with carbon-14 were supported by the Canadian Forestry Service. Research relating to conifer cell biology at Davis was supported in part by McIntyre-Stennis funds (1990–1994) and by a NASA grant to DJD on tissue engineering in simulated microgravity (NG 9–825) (1996–1998). Comments on a preliminary manuscript were provided by Michael Mogie. The author declares no conflict of interests.

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    Don J. Durzan

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Durzan, D.J. Female parthenogenetic apomixis and androsporogenetic parthenogenesis in embryonal cells of Araucaria angustifolia: interpolation of progenesis and asexual heterospory in an artificial sporangium. Sex Plant Reprod 25, 227–246 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-012-0189-0

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