Multiple analyses of various factors affecting the plantlet regeneration of Picea mongolica (H. Q. Wu) W.D. Xu from somatic embryos

Abstract

Picea mongolica, a native species with excellent industrial wood quality and strong sand-fixing capacity, may be utilized in construction of urban green spaces in arid areas in China. However, now the sustainability of the ecosystems where this species grows is at serious risk due to a lack of natural regeneration. In this study, we developed an efficient regeneration system and comprehensively analyzed various factors affecting somatic embryogenesis (SE) using zygotic embryos as explants. We identified the optimal plant growth regulators (PGRs) performance and the best donor trees (k81) for the generation of somatic embryos (SEMs). Additionally, we confirmed that the positive developmental window of SEMs initiation was at the end of July to early August, which is when zygotic embryos was at the late embryogeny. In this time period, specific transcripts associated with the regulation of epigenetic modifications, plant hormone-related genes, and embryonic development-related transcription factors play important roles for early SEMs initiation. These results may provide a valuable resource for vegetative propagation of Picea mongolica. Our results may help to establish a reliable protocol for plantlet regeneration, which may facilitate urban greening applications and industrialization in arid areas.

De Novo Sequencing and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal Genes’ Specific Expression in Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) Callus

“…Previous studies have reported that a higher accumulation of starch in cucumber EC may be a necessary prerequisite for further embryonic cell division [25]. In a study of Picea balfouriana and P. mongolica, it was also found that starch and sucrose metabolism are important pathways affecting SE ability [14,26]. In Pinus koraiensis, it has been shown that the production and quality of SE are regulated by glutathione metabolism, and exogenous glutathione was also found to promote SE by increasing intracellular SOD activity, reducing cell death, and promoting intracellular ROS metabolism [27].…”

Conifer Biotechnology: An Overview

“…The most pressing challenge is to understand the molecular regulation of embryogenesis in conifers, the knowledge of which remains very limited [123], largely due to the lack of identified embryonic defective mutants [124]. In conclusion, it would be desirable to further develop clear, detailed, and reliable protocols, which are essential for the mechanization and homogenization of experimental systems and, to this end, all mechanisms and resources for vegetative propagation and plant regeneration should be investigated [125].…”

Transcriptome Landscape Analyses of the Regulatory Network for Zygotic Embryo Development in Paeonia ostii

“…Transcriptome sequencing can comprehensively and quickly obtain transcripts of specific organs or tissues at a certain state, and it is an important technical way to reveal the gene expression profiling of cells and tissues [37][38][39][40]. Research showed that auxin was crucial for early embryo patterning and pre-cotyledon embryonic formation, while ABA was a major regulator of embryonic maturation by transcriptome, the key genes related to embryo development were obtained and used to improve the efficiency of the somatic embryo (SE) in Picea mongolica [41,42]. Transcription factors, hormone signals, and transduction-related and sugar-metabolism-related genes play a crucial role in barley grain development [3,43].…”