Proceedings of the XLVII Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Verona, Italy - 24/27 September, 2003

ISBN 88-900622-4-X

Poster Abstract - 1.11

SENESCENCE IN CELL SUSPENSION CULTURES IN MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA AND ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

E. BARIZZA, R. DE MICHELE, F. CARIMI, M.GROTTO, M. TERZI

Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova

Arabidopsis thaliana cell culture, Medicago truncatula cell culture, senescence, PCD

High concentrations of cytokinin block cell proliferation and induce cell death in Arabidopsis cells.

Cell death is demonstrated to be of the programmed type by various parameters including chromatin condensation and oligonucleosomal DNA degradation (laddering). PCD is preceded by senescence, an active process requiring active synthesis, identified by specific markers, the most typical being SAG12 a cystein-protease whose expression was found originally in leaves and now also in cultured cells.

We are now moving to Medicago truncatula, a model plant for leguminous species, whose cells can be cultivated in vitro. On Medicago truncatula cells we are reproducing prematurely induced senescence and associating it with markers which, on a preliminary bioinformatic analysis, show homology with SAG12 and other senescence markers whose function has been identified in Arabidopsis.