Recent Advances in Plant Somatic Embryogenesis: Where We Stand and Where to Go?: 2nd Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant biotechnology; in vitro culture; micropropagation; somatic embryogenesis; woody plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant biotechnology; in vitro culture; micropropagation; somatic embryogenesis; woody plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Somatic embryogenesis is considered a fascinating example of the concept of cellular totipotency. During this regeneration process, one or a few somatic cells are subjected to favorable in vitro experimental conditions and undergo morphological and biochemical changes that prompt them to form bipolar structures, which are known as somatic embryos. Although gamete fusion does not take place, somatic embryos resemble zygotic embryos and have the ability to germinate and develop into somatic seedlings. In addition to the application of clonal propagation, embryogenic cultures represent excellent target materials for the insertion of isolated gene sequences into somatic cells and the subsequent production of genetically modified plants. This technology is expected to be replaced by the emerging field of plant genome editing, which will most likely utilize embryogenic cultures as a means of generating enhanced plants. In addition, the application of synthetic seed technology to somatic embryos is being considered with regard to storage and handling qualities. Somatic embryogenic lines can be subjected to well-developed cryopreservation techniques for the long-term conservation of plant diversity or conservation during the field testing of regenerated plants and the subsequent retrieval of superior lines from liquid nitrogen for their exploitation. Finally, the somatic embryogenesis process is an ideal system for studying the molecular mechanisms that regulate developmental plasticity in plants. All of these potential applications have made somatic embryogenesis a subject of great scientific interest.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts related to the overall topic of somatic embryogenesis and that address the following subtopics:
The factors that affect somatic embryogenesis, including stress stimuli, the endogenous content of auxins and cytokinins, the role of the explant type and its physiological state, and the role of exogenous plant growth regulators;
The anatomical and histological analysis of the somatic embryogenesis process;
- Androgenesis;
- Cryopreservation somatic embryos;
- Genetic transformation somatic embryos;
- Genome-editing somatic embryos;
- Synthetic seeds;
- Liquid culture: embryogenic suspensions and bioreactors;
- Gene expression during the somatic embryogenesis process;
- Epigenetic modifications: histone modification and DNA methylation.
Dr. Elena Corredoira
Dr. Mª Teresa Martínez
Dr. Maria Salomé Pais
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- cryopreservation
- embryo competence
- gene expression
- genetic transformation
- plasticity
- somatic embryo
- totipotency
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