title: Regeneration of roots from callus reveals stability of the developmental program for determinate root growth in Sonoran Desert Cactaceae.
abstract: In some Sonoran Desert Cactaceae the primary root has a determinate root growth: the cells of the root apical meristem undergo only a few cell division cycles and then differentiate. The determinate growth of primary roots in Cactaceae was found in plants cultivated under various growth conditions, and could not be reverted by any treatment tested. The mechanisms involved in root meristem maintenance and determinate root growth in plants remain poorly understood. In this study, we have shown that roots regenerated from the callus of two Cactaceae species, Stenocereus gummosus and Ferocactus peninsulae, have a determinate growth pattern, similar to that of the primary root. To demonstrate this, a protocol for root regeneration from callus was established. The determinate growth pattern of roots regenerated from callus suggests that the program of root development is very stable in these species. These findings will permit future analysis of the role of certain Cactaceae genes in the determinate pattern of root growth via the regeneration of transgenic roots from transformed calli.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Molecular de Plantas, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A. P. 510-3, C. P. 62250, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. sveta@ibt.unam.mx
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shishkova
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Mendoza
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castillo-Díaz
authors.forename: Norma E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arellano
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dubrovsky
mesh_terms: D029421:Cactaceae / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D018548:Cotyledon / Q000502:physiology; D003470:Culture Media; D003889:Desert Climate; D018546:Hypocotyl / Q000502:physiology; D008800:Mexico; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration; D036226:Seedlings / Q000502:physiology; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media