The effect of cytokinins on growth and sexual organ development in the gametophyte of Blechnum spicant L.

Abstract

In this study, we report the role of exogenous and endogenous cytokinins on growth and sexual organ development in the fern Blechnum spicant L. Sporederived gametophytes (SG) were cultured in full-strength Murashige and Skoog (1962) liquid medium supplemented with (a) 4.44 lMN 6 -benzyladenine (BAP), (b) a crude extract from mature female gametophytes, and (c) 4.44 lM BAP in combination with the crude extract from mature gametophytes, respectively. Both BAP and the crude extract delayed the gametophyte development, and this effect was increased when they were added together. With respect to sexual organ development, BAP inhibited the sexual organ formation, while the crude extract favored antheridia formation; however, when added together, the percentage of antheridia decreased. The endogenous level of the cytokinins cis-zeatin (cZ), cis-zeatin-riboside (cZR), dihydrozeatin (DHZ), dihydrozeatin riboside (DHZR), isopentenyl adenine (iP), isopentenyl adenosine (iPR), isopentenyl-9-glucoside (iP9G), trans-zeatin (tZ), and trans-zeatin riboside (tZR) were analyzed in female and male gametophytes of B. spicant L. The endogenous levels of cytokinins tZ, cZ, DHZ, cZR, iP, and iPR were higher in female gametophytes than in male gametophytes, with the endogenous iP and iPR content being increased more than 300 and 400 times, respectively.

Proteomic approaches to sexual development mediated by antheridiogen in the fern Blechnum spicant L

“…To determine the importance of plant growth regulators in sex expression in the gametophyte of B. spicant , the endogenous levels of several gibberellins and cytokinins were determined by mass spectrometry. The obtained data indicated that no differences in the endogenous content of the gibberellins GA 1 , GA 3 , GA 7 , GA 7 , GA 9, and GA 20 were found between sexes ; however, differences in the endogenous content of the cytokinins were documented, increasing the content of iP (isopentenyl adenine) and iPR (isopentenyl adenosine in female gametophytes more than 300 and 400 times respect to the male ones . In the light of these results, it seems that antheridiogenesis in the gametophyte of different species might be governed in different ways.…”

Comparison of endogenous cytokinins, ABA and metabolites during female cone bud differentiation in low and high cone-producing genotypes of lodgepole pine

“…In other higher plants, cytokinin levels increased during flowering induction (Lejeune et al 1994;Corbesier et al 2003). Higher cytokinin concentrations were found in female gametophytes than in male gametophytes in Blechnum spicant (Menéndez et al 2009). …”

Occurrence of plant growth regulators in Psilotum nudum

“…We did not analyze cZ, but the levels of tZ were low or not detected. Menéndez et al (2009) reported differences in the endogenous content of tZ, tZR, DHZ, iP and iPR linked to gender in B. spicant L., being especially high the contents of iP and iPR contents in female gametophytes. More recently, analyses of different tissues of A. nidus (H. Fernández, personal communication) showed higher levels of tRZ and iP than of tZ and DHZ, with the lowest levels corresponding to tZ.…”