GENE EXPRESSION DURING CARROT SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS

A regulated developmental system of carrot was established and was used to study gene expression during somatic embryogenesis. An improved cDNA representational difference analysis (RDA) was developed to isolate somatic embryogenesis related genes. ABA was thought as an important factor in sucrose signal transduction after endogenous ABA levels of carrot somatic embryos were assayed under different sucrose concentration in MS media and deregulated culture. A new cDNA fragment of LEA gene induced by ABA was obtained from carrot somatic embryo under regulated state. The result supports that the regulated-deregulated cultivation of carrot somatic embryo is similar to the dormancy –germination process of seeds.