Triticale doubled haploid plant regeneration factors linked by structural equation modeling

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Triticale regeneration via anther culture is challenging due to low efficiency and albino plant formation.
• Abiotic stresses and induction medium components, like copper and silver ions, can impact plant regeneration.
• The specific roles of copper and silver ions in plant tissue culture and their biochemical pathway interactions remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationships between DNA methylation, DNA sequence variation, and green plant regeneration efficiency in triticale.
• To evaluate the influence of copper and silver ions on these regeneration processes.
• To elucidate the underlying biochemical mechanisms connecting ion concentrations to regeneration outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a biological model of donor plants and their regenerants.
• Employed methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MSAP) to assess DNA methylation and variation.
• Applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze complex relationships between variables.

Main Results:

• Green plant regeneration efficiency ranged from 0.71 to 6.06 plants per 100 anthers.
• Tissue culture-induced variation included 8.65% sequence variation, 0.76% DNA demethylation, and 0.58% de novo methylation in the CHH context.
• Copper ion concentration positively correlated with plant regeneration efficiency, especially without silver ions.

Conclusions:

• Copper ions play a central role in determining triticale regeneration efficiency, likely through modulation of cytosine methylation.
• Copper ions may induce mutations via oxidative processes, impacting regeneration success.
• Optimizing copper ion levels in induction media, in conjunction with minimizing silver ions, can improve green plant regeneration in triticale.