Ontogenic variations in n-alkanes during somatic embryogenesis of flax (Linum u...

• Author(s): Cunha, Ana ; Ferreira, Manuel Fernandes
• Date: 2001
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/3006
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Subject(s): Linum usitatissimum L.; Flax; Lipids; N-alkanes; Tissue culture; Somatic embryogenesis
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

Hypocotyl segments of flax seedlings germinated in vitro, were used to induce indirect somatic embryogenesis on solid medium. The composition and distribution of n-alkanes in flax tissues collected at different developmental stages were studied by GC and GC-MS. During induction and development of callus from hypocotyl tissues a decrease in the percentage of total lipids was observed. In all types of tissue sampled - hypocotyl segments used as primary explants, hypocotyl segments with differentiating calli at the cut ends, embryogenic and non-embryogenic calli and somatic embryos - a skewed-normal distribution of n-alkanes with a low mass range (C13-C21) were found. The highest content of n-alkanes occurred in the primary hypocotyl explants and in the early stages of callus development. Longer carbon chain n-alkanes were observed only in the mature or differentiated tissues of hypocotyls and somatic embryos. Although the n-alkane contents decreased with time, in somatic embryos and calli, a significantly lower n-alkane content was observed in embryogenic calli when compared to non-embryogenic calli independent of the time in culture. These results suggest the utilisation of n-alkanes for heterotrophic cellular growth as well as its mobilisation from embryogenic calli to developing somatic embryos