Conditions Favorable for the Somatic Embryogenesis in Carrot Cell Culture Enhance Expression of the roIC Promoter-GUS Fusion Gene

We obtained carrot (Daucus carota) cells possessing the 5'-noncoding sequence of the ORF12 gene (roIC) of TL-DNA of the Ri plasmid and a structural gene of bacterial beta-glucuronidase by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. When such cells were cultured in medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, substantial reduction in beta-glucuronidase activity was observed. Upon transferring the cells from a 2,4-D-containing medium to one devoid of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, enhanced expression of beta-glucuronidase in somatic embryo development was recorded. Activation by gibberillic acid and suppression by abscisic acid of beta-glucuronidase activities, in concord with embryogenesis, were also noted.