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In Vitro Embryogenesis in Higher Plants pp 101–115Cite as

Dying with Style: Death Decision in Plant Embryogenesis

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1359))

Abstract

Embryogenesis is a fascinating event during the plant life cycle encompassing several steps whereby the zygote develops into a fully developed embryo which, in angiosperms, is composed of an axis separating the apical meristems, and two cotyledons. Recapitulation of embryogenesis can also occur in vitro through somatic embryogenesis, where somatic cells are induced to form embryos, and androgenesis, in which embryos originate from immature male gametophytes. Besides cell division and differentiation, embryo patterning in vivo and in vitro requires the dismantling and selective elimination of cells and tissues via programmed cell death (PCD). While the manifestation of the death program has long been acknowledged in vivo, especially in relation to the elimination of the suspensor during the late phases of embryo development, PCD during in vitro embryogenesis has only been described in more recent years. Independent studies using the gymnosperm Norway spruce and the angiosperm maize have shown that the death program is crucial for the proper formation and further development of immature somatic embryos. This chapter summarizes the recent advances in the field of PCD during embryogenesis and proposes novel regulatory mechanisms activating the death program in plants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, 222 Agriculture Building, Winnipeg, Canada, R3T2N2

    Shuanglong Huang & Claudio Stasolla

  2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt

    Mohamed M. Mira

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  1. Shuanglong Huang
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  2. Mohamed M. Mira
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  3. Claudio Stasolla
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Correspondence to Claudio Stasolla .

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  1. Dipartimento DEMETRA, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Maria Antonietta Germana

  2. National Research Council (CNR) IVALSA/Istituto per la Valorizzazione, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy

    Maurizio Lambardi

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Huang, S., Mira, M.M., Stasolla, C. (2016). Dying with Style: Death Decision in Plant Embryogenesis. In: Germana, M., Lambardi, M. (eds) In Vitro Embryogenesis in Higher Plants. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1359. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3061-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3061-6_5

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