0000000000291947
AUTHOR
M. J. Cornejo
Influence of Microspore Development on Pollen Protoplast Isolation in Digitalis obscura
Summary Protocols for the enzymatic isolation of Digitalis obscura pollen protoplasts are described. The developmental stage of the microspores was a critical factor for successful isolation since protoplasts were obtained only from tetrads. The highest yield of viable protoplasts was achieved with an enzymatic mixture containing helicase, cellulase and pectolyase in 0.5 M sucrose. In different culture techniques employed, cell wall regeneration took place only when protoplasts were plated in agarose drops.
Physiological and genomic variations in rice cells recovered from direct immersion and storage in liquid nitrogen
The use of cryoprotectants and slow cooling rates are routine procedures for the cryopreservation of plant cell lines. However, our results with rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. Taipei 309) show that calli can be cryopreserved by direct immersion and stored in liquid nitrogen without any cryoprotection. The efficiency of recovery using this method, as well as a conventional method was generally increased with a previous abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Following cryopreservation, calli demonstrated some differences with respect to unfrozen calli of the same lines. Thus, resistance to freezing stress (−20°C for 2 h) increased significantly in all lines tested, irrespective of their pre-incubation wi…
Digitalis spp.: In Vitro Production of Haploids
Digitalis, a member of the Scrophulariaceae, is composed of biennial or perennial herbs and occasionally of small shrubs. Several Digitalis species are used therapeutically, as they are a source of cardiac glycosides. The importance and distribution of these species are summarized below, with special attention to D. purpurea, D. lanata and D. obscura. For a detailed review see Thtin et al. (1972), Morton (1977), and Font Quer (1978).
Is ABA involved in tolerance responses to salinity by affecting cytoplasm ion homeostasis in rice cell lines?
Abstract The ability of plant cells to maintain cytoplasm ion homeostasis under saline stress is among the main mechanisms involved in salt tolerance. To cope with excess Na + , cells extrude it from the cytoplasm, which requires expenditure of metabolic energy, provided by H + gradients generated by membrane-bound H + -pumps. ABA is well-known to be involved in physiological processes elicited or enhanced by stresses causing cell dehydration. In this work we studied the possible implication of this plant hormone in the control of salt-induced cellular mechanisms conducting to Na + extrusion from the cytoplasm. We used rice ( Oryza sativa L.) cell lines selected for their different toleranc…
Water-depth effects in photosynthetic pigment content of the benthic algae Dictyota dichotoma and Udotea petiolata
Abstract The effect of water depth on the light-harvesting pigments contents in Dictyota dichotoma (Hudson) Lamouroux and Udotea petiolata (Turra) Borgesen was studied. Both species showed higher photosynthetic-pigments contents with increased depth or shade. The ratios of chlorophyll c /chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b / chlrophyll a in D. dichotoma and U. petiolata were lower in light-exposed samples. In D. dichotoma , the ratios of fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a increased with depth or shade; however, it is worth noting that the 0 m (sun) samples showed the highest values. On the other hand, total carotenoids to chlorophyll a ratios in U. petiolata increased with depth.
Effects of Ga3 and Ca2+ on barley aleurone protoplasts: a freeze-fracture study
Freeze-fracture electron microscopy was used to study changes in the endomembrane system of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Himalaya) aleurone protoplasts. Protoplasts were used for this study because their response to calcium and the plant hormone gibberellic acid (Ga3) can be monitored prior to rapid freezing of cells for electron microscopy. Protoplasts incubated in Ga3 plus Ca2+ secrete elevated levels of a-amylase relative to cells incubated in Ga3 or Ca2+ alone. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus of protoplasts incubated in Ga3 plus Ca2+ undergo changes that are well correlated with the synthesis and secretion of a-amylase. The ER, which appears as short, single sheets …
A morphogenetic role for ethylene in hypocotyl cultures of Digitalis obscura L.
The effect of exogenously applied ethylene on organogenesis in Digitalis obscura L. hypocotyls cultured in vitro was studied. Interactions of this gas with other growth regulators was also tested. Ethylene by itself only promoted root formation. Shoot regeneration was obtained in presence of indoleacetic acid and kinetin. The addition of ethylene (10 ppm) increased the caulogenetic action of this medium; higher concentrations than 10 ppm reduced this response. Kinetin alone did not promote organogenesis and nullified the promotive effect of ethylene on rhizogenesis.
Phenotypic characterization of the progenies of rice plants derived from cryopreserved calli
The progenies of rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) differentiated from calli that had been cryopreserved and from control (non-cryopreserved) calli were used to study the influence of selection pressure during cryopreservation. The phenotypic evaluation of these progenies was based mainly on the response of seedlings and calli to freezing stress and on the characterization of protoplast and cell populations by flow cytometric analyses. The patterns of response to freezing stress, as well as the variations in some morphological and physiological cell parameters, were unrelated to the origin (cryopreserved or control calli) of the parental plants.
In vitro morphogenesis from excised leaf explants of Digitalis obscura L.
The morphogenic capacity of Digitalis obscura leaf explants cultured in vitro has been studied, noting factors promoting the differentiation of roots, buds and shoots as well as those promoting callus proliferation. Complete plant regeneration was obtained only by first culturing the leaf explants in a medium with NAA and BA to induce formation of buds, and subsequently transferring them to a medium without growth regulators to achieve the further development of shoots.