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Anthers and ovaries of Vitis longii 'Microsperma' produced embryogenic callus when cultured on solidified Murashige and Skoog medium with 5/~M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1 #M benzyladenine (BA). The initial callus was short-lived. However, long-term embryogenesis from callus was maintained through serial transfers by careful selection of clustered embryos with subtending callus. Alternatively, long term culture maintenance was through secondary embryogenesis which occurred directly from previously formed embryos on medium lacking growth regulators. Somatic embryos were white, exhibited frequent pluricotyly and tended to be larger than zygotic embryos. Histology of embryogenic callus demonstrated the presence of lipidlike substances and abundant starch. Somatic embryos were attached to callus by narrow to wide suspensor-like structures and possessed typical epidermal, cortical, and vascular tissue. Embryo cells contained abundant lipid-like accumulations but no starch. Embryos germinated when placed on medium containing 1 #M BA and produced plants of normal appearance.

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Segments taken from the basal 15 to 20 millimeters of the two innermost leaves of an orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) genotype produced somatic (nonzygotic) embryos directly from mesophyll cells without an intervening callus when cultured on an agar medium with 30 micromolar 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba). This demonstration of high-frequency embryogenesis from mesophyll cells in Gramineae is strong evidence for totipotency of the cells.

Novel bi-directional duplex promoters (BDDP) were constructed by placing two identical core promoters divergently on both upstream and downstream sides of their duplicated enhancer elements. Estimates of promoter function were obtained by creating versions of CaMV 35S and CsVMV BDDPs that contained reporter marker genes encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) interchangeably linked either to the upstream or downstream core promoters. GUS was used for quantitative analysis of promoter function, whereas, EGFP allowed visual qualitative evaluation. In addition, the GUS and EGFP genes placed in downstream positions were modified by translational fusion with neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) to allow simultaneous monitoring of promoter activity and selection of stable transformants. These versions of BDDP were compared with each other and with equivalent unidirectional constructs by evaluating their expression in grape and tobacco. For 35S promoter constructs tested in grape somatic embryos (SE), BDDP exhibited transient GUS expression 206- and 300-fold greater in downstream and upstream configurations, respectively, compared to a unidirectional 35S core promoter. Compared with a unidirectional double enhanced 35S promoter, BDDPs exhibited 0.5- and 3-fold increased GUS expression from downstream and upstream core promoters, respectively. The same differences in expression levels determined quantitatively with GUS were distinguished qualitatively with EGFP. Constructs using CsVMV core promoters yielded results relative to those obtained with 35S promoter. For example, the upstream BDDP CsVMV core promoter provided a 200-fold increase in GUS expression compared to a unidirectional core promoter. However, CsVMV promoter was found to have higher promoter activity than 35S promoter in both BDDP and unidirectional constructs. Incorporation of an additional duplicated enhancer element to BDDPs resulted in increased expression. For example, a 35S BDDP with two divergently arranged duplicated enhancer elements resulted in over a 6-fold increase in GUS expression in stably transformed tobacco plants compared to a BDDP with one duplicated enhancer element. Data demonstrate that BDDP composed of divergently-arranged core promoters separated by duplicated enhancers, all derived from a single promoter sequence, can be used to significantly enhance transgene expression and to direct synchronized expression of multiple transgenes.

Shoot apical meristems were used to establish regenerative axillary bud cultures of 9 muscadine grape cultivars. Meristems taken from 10 cm long shoots had less contamination (3%) and a higher survival rate (94%) than those from shorter or longer shoots. Of media tested, MS, 1/2 MS, and CzD resulted in equivalent shoot proliferation rates, whereas, WPM produced stunted shoots. When pooling results for 3 cultivars, 5, 10 and 20/~M BA and 5/~M TDZ produced the highest average number of shoots per cultured apex (3.4-3.8). However, shoots produced with TDZ were stunted and did not root well. For rooting of shoots directly in potting mix, a rooting powder pretreatment significantly increased the number of roots per shoot but did not affect percent rooting or root length. For rooting in vitro, 1/~M NAA significantly increased all parameters measured. Although more shoots rooted in vitro than in vivo (77% vs. 46%), the latter was judged preferable since acclimatized plants were produced in less time and a major culture step was eliminated. Significant differences among cultivars were noted for measured responses in all experiments.