Gene expression analysis during somatic and zygotic embryo development in Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) O. Kuntze

Abstract

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a biotechnology method developed to produce in vitro embryos. It is considered one of the most promising approaches in the development of efficient micropropagation, genetic improvement and germplasm conservation techniques. However, commercial application of SE in Araucaria angustifolia - as well as in other species - today faces several obstacles. Impracticality to induce embryogenic cultures using mature tissues, influence of mother plant (genotype, and fast loss of embryogenic competence by cell cultures are among the technical difficulties encountered in SE. Several of these obstacles are the result of suboptimal in vitro cultivation conditions of embryogenic cultures. In this sense, the establishment of artificial conditions for the correct in vitro embryo development depends on more in-depth knowledge about biochemical, physiological and genetic factors governing the development of the zygotic embryo (in vivo). The research project proposes the analysis of transcriptome using the RNA-Seq technique during zygotic and somatic A. angustifolia embryos development to identify genes that may afford a molecular characterization of the embryogenic process and develop markers to improve the micropropagation technique using somatic embryogenesis. The results expected should lay the grounds for the establishment of A. angustifolia conservation strategies, including germplasm banks and the development of genetic improvement programs using biotechnological tools. (AU)