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Involvement of ethylene in somatic embryogenesis in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

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Abstract

The involvement of the plant growth regulator ethylene in somatic embryo maturation of Pinus sylvestris (L.) was investigated. Genes that encoded 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS), the rate-limiting enzyme in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway, were isolated and characterized. Two novel complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of PsACS1 and PsACS2 that encode ACS were isolated from embryogenic cultures (ECs) along with their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. The two sequences shared 69% similarity at amino acid level. PsACS1 was expressed in ECs at the proliferation and maturation stages, whereas the PsACS2 transcript was expressed in embryos only at the maturation stage. These expression levels varied among the five P. sylvestris genotypes studied. Moreover, the high levels of PsACS2 transcript abundance correlated with higher numbers of embryos at stage 3 of development. Ethylene production reached the highest levels at stage 3, and subsequently dropped. Hence, expression of PsACS2 corresponded to ethylene production during embryo development and could thus serve as a genetic marker for the early maturation stage. Both gene expression and ethylene production varied among the different genotypes. Investigating expression of ACC synthase genes further enhanced our understanding of the role of ethylene in embryo development and maturation and improved the efficiency of somatic embryogenesis of P. sylvestris.

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Abbreviations

ECs:

Embryogenic cultures

NECs:

ECs not producing embryos at the maturation stage

SE:

Somatic embryogenesis

ABA:

Abscisic acid

BA:

6-Benzylamino-purine

2,4-D:

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

ACC:

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid

ACS:

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Katileena Lohtander for her help with compiling the phylogenetic tree. We would also like to thank Mrs. Lahja Pesonen for her technical assistance and Dr. Nora Garcia for her technical help and discussions in the laboratory. Dr. Hanna Pasonen, Mrs. Anna-Maija Niskanen, Dr. Tuija Aronen, and Dr. Yeshitila Degefu and Prof. Fred O. Asiegbu are acknowledged for critical review of this manuscript. This work was supported by University of Helsinki project number 2108012 and by EU project number QLTRT 1999—679.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, POB 27, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Jinrong Lu

  2. Department of Biosciences, Division of Plant Biology, University of Helsinki, POB 65, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Jorma Vahala

  3. Faculty of Science and Forestry, University of Eastern Finland, POB 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Ari Pappinen

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  1. Jinrong Lu
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Correspondence to Jinrong Lu.

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Lu, J., Vahala, J. & Pappinen, A. Involvement of ethylene in somatic embryogenesis in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 107, 25–33 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-011-9952-4

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