Different Cell Types Affect the Transition from Juvenile to Mature Phase in Citrus Plants Regenerated through Somatic Embryogenesis

Abstract

Robust protocols for the regeneration of somatic embryos in vitro are essential for the efficient use of the most modern biotechnologies. Unfortunately, in perennial trees such as Citrus, plants regenerated from juvenile tissues usually exhibit strong, undesirable juvenile characters such as thorny habit and delayed flowering and fruit production. In this work, we tested whether the cell types (nucellar and stigma/style) used to regenerate Citrus plants through somatic embryogenesis affected the transition from the juvenile to mature phase. The results show that regenerants from nucellar cells presented persistent juvenile characters, whereas plants originating from stigma/style explants transited to the mature phase more rapidly. Our observations support the hypothesis that the totipotent cells originated from different cell types are not equivalent, possibly by maintaining memory of their previously differentiated state.

Somatic Embryogenesis and Flow Cytometric Assessment of Nuclear Genetic Stability for Sansevieria spp.: An Approach for In Vitro Regeneration of Ornamental Plants

“…Nevertheless, the high degree of uniformity in DNA relative content, verified in the other samples, validates the regeneration system starting from floral explants. These results are in agreement with those reported for other species [14,15,35,45] about stability of regenerated plants.…”