AN ANALYSIS OF SEED DEVELOPMENT IN PISUM-SATIVUM L .11. CELLULAR-DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEPOSITION OF STORAGE PROTEIN IN IMMATURE EMBRYOS GROWN INVIVO AND INVITRO

Indirect immunofluorescence has been used to examine the temporal and spatial distribution of cells containing the storage protein vicilin, in immature pea embryos grown in vivo and in culture. The occurrence of the storage protein was investigated in both separated cells and cryosectioned embryos. In culture, a rapid cessation of cell division in embryos was observed. The proportion of cells containing vicilin was increased up to three-fold in culture depending on the initial fresh weight of the embryo. The DNA levels of the separated cotyledon cells from embryos grown in vitro were compared to those from ones grown in vivo. The maximum DNA content of the cell population was increased though the minimum DNA level of cells containing storage protein was unaltered at 5 C. In addition, no alteration was seen in the spatial localization of vicilin-containing cells within the parenchyma region of the cotyledons. Some cells of the axes of in vitro grown embryos, however, were seen to contain the storage protein which was absent from the same weight embryos taken from the plant. Cells of the epidermal and provascular regions did not contain vicilin in any of the embryos investigated here. These data have been related to the cellular development of the pea embryo and provide evidence for a hypothesis that there is a relationship between cell expansion and deposition of storage protein. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.