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Identification of putative homologs of Larix decidua to BABYBOOM (BBM), LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), WUSCHEL-related HOMEOBOX2 (WOX2) and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-like KINASE (SERK) during somatic embryogenesis

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Embryogenesis-related genes ( LdBBM, LdLEC1, LdWOX2 and LdSERK ) were confirmed in sequence and expression abundance for Larix decidua —these findings are valid for somatic as well as for zygotic embryo development.

Somatic embryogenesis is a reliable source of high-quality genotypes as it presents an advantageous alternative for conifers in forestry, independent from seed production. Although this propagation method is already being applied, molecular factors initiating and controlling the process remain to be understood. The embryogenesis-associated genes BABYBOOM (BBM), LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), WUSCHEL-related HOMEOBOX2 (WOX2) and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-like KINASE (SERK) were identified and analyzed in somatic embryos of the European larch, L. decidua Mill. Subsequent comparisons with annotated sequences displayed similarities with angiosperm homologs. Transcript accumulation of the identified genes during embryogenesis has been analyzed. LdLEC1 and LdWOX2 are mainly expressed during early embryogenesis, whereas LdBBM and LdSERK reveal increased expression during later development. Temporal and spatial expression studies revealed a specific LdLEC1 signal in the outer cell layer of young embryo heads, whereas mature embryos showed a homogeneous expression. The overexpression of LdLEC1 in Arabidopsis influences germination and cotyledon formation, thus indicating the interspecific importance of LEC1 for proper embryo and specifically cotyledon development. Our data support a conserved role of principal regulators during plant embryogenesis that may be used as molecular markers for embryogenicity and to further determine initiating processes of somatic embryogenesis.

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Abbreviations

BBM:

Babyboom

LEC1:

Leafy cotyledon1

WOX2:

Wuschel-related homeobox2

SERK:

Somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinase

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Kraft for providing the photos of early stage zygotic embryos, Dr. Ulrich Eckhardt and Hagen Schlicke for technical advice in real-time PCR and Dr. Margarete Müller for support in statistics.

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  1. Institute of Biology, Department of Botany and Arboretum, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Andrea Rupps, Juliane Raschke, Martin Rümmler, Bettina Linke & Kurt Zoglauer

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  1. Andrea Rupps
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Correspondence to Andrea Rupps.

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425_2015_2409_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplementary file S1 Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence of LdSERK (complete) with AtSERK1-5 of A. thaliana to visualize high sequence similarity within the gene family (TIFF 2587 kb)

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Rupps, A., Raschke, J., Rümmler, M. et al. Identification of putative homologs of Larix decidua to BABYBOOM (BBM), LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), WUSCHEL-related HOMEOBOX2 (WOX2) and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-like KINASE (SERK) during somatic embryogenesis. Planta 243, 473–488 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-015-2409-y

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