Determination of Somatic Embryogenesis Induction Capacity of Cotton Cell Suspension Cultures using Esterase as an Enzyme Marker

Enzymes generally influence plants cells ability to induce somatic embryos. This study aimed at understanding differences between embryogenic and non-embryogenic structures via esterase quantitative and qualitative analysis in order to identify them as potential markers of somatic embryogenesis in cotton. Both cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars, Coker 312 an embryogenic and ISA 205N non-embryogenic were evaluated during somatic embryogenesis through cell suspensions culture. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique was used to identify the esterase isoenzymes and esterase activity was determinated by spectrophometric method. The findings demonstrated that the isoenzyme (x) identified as choline esterase was only found in the cell suspensions of the non-embryogenic cultivar ISA 205N, whereas the stage of embryogenic structures induction occurs only in Coker 312 cell suspension, both isoenzymes (y and z) were noted and identified as aryl esterase. In Coker 312 cells, the esterase activity rose, whereas in ISA 205N cells, it stayed steady. These findings pointed to a significant role for esterase enzyme during cotton cell suspension cultures in the production of embryogenic structures.