Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the beneficial effect of suppression of the Arabidopsis phytoglobin 2 gene, PGB2, on somatic embryogenesis occurs through the accumulation of nitric oxide (NO) within the embryogenic cells originating from the cultured explant. NO activates the expression of Allene oxide synthase (AOS) and Lipoxygenase 2 (LOX2), genes encoding two key enzymes of the jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthetic pathway, elevating JA content within the embryogenic tissue. The number of embryos in the single aos1-1 mutant and pgb2-aos1-1 double mutant declined, and was not rescued by increasing levels of NO stimulating embryogenesis in wild-type tissue. NO also influenced JA responses by up-regulating PLANT DEFENSIN 1 (PDF1) and JASMONATE-ZIM-PROTEIN (JAZ1), as well as down-regulating MYC2. The NO and JA modulation of MYC2 and JAZ1 controlled embryogenesis. Ectopic expression of JAZ1 or suppression of MYC2 promoted the formation of somatic embryos, while repression of JAZ1 and up-regulation of MYC2 reduced the embryogenic performance. Sustained expression of JAZ1 induced the transcription of several indole acetic acid (IAA) biosynthetic genes, resulting in higher IAA levels in the embryogenic cells. Collectively these data fit a model integrating JA in the PGB2 regulation of Arabidopsis embryogenesis. Suppression of PGB2 increases JA through NO. Elevated levels of JA repress MYC2 and induce JAZ1, favoring the accumulation of IAA in the explants and the subsequent production of somatic embryos.