EXPRESSION OF SEED STORAGE PROTEINS IN SOMATIC EMBRYOS OF PLANTS

A LIMITATION TO THE USE OF PLANT SOMATIC EMPBYOS AS A PROPAGATION TOOL IS THE GERMINATION FREQUENCY OF EMBRYOS INTO PLANTLETS. FOR NON-ENDOSPERMOUS EMBRYOS, SUCH AS ALFALFA OR LETTUCE, THE MAJOR SEED STORAGE PROTEINS ACCUMULATE IN THE COTYLEDON AND HYPOCOTYL AXIS OF ZYGOTIC EMBRYO PROPER. SOMATIC EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN ALFALFA IS ACCOMPANIED BY EXPRESSION OF SEED STORAGE PROTEIN. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF STORAGE PROTEIN ACCUMULATES WITH LOW AUXIN INDUCTION CONDITIONS WHICH PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMBRYOS. THESE EMBRYOS ALSO GERMINATE AT HIGHER FREQUENCIES, THUS STORAGE PROTEIN EXPRESSION REPRESENTS AN EARLY MARKET FOR EMBRYO GERMINATION. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES TO DEVELOP ANTIBODY PROBES FOR THE 75 PROTEIN OF ALFALFA ANDTHE 145 PROTEIN OF LETTUCE SEED STORAGE PROTEIN. THIS PROJECT ALSO PROPOSES TO USE ELISA-BASED PROTEIN DETECTION TO ANALYZE EXPRESSION OF STORAGE PROTEIN IN ALFALFA ZYGOTIC EMBRYOS AS A BENCHMARK TO ASSESS SEED STORAGE PROTEIN DEPOSITION IN SOMATIC EMBRYOS. IT IS FURTHER PROPOSED TO USE LETTUCE SEED STORAGE PROTEIN TO ASSESS SUCCESSFUL SOMATIC EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN THAT SPECIES.