Nuclear DNA content of Hydrastis canadensis L. and genome size stability of in vitro regenerated plantlets

• Published in: Plant cell, tissue and organ culture Vol. 102; no. 2; pp. 259 - 263
• Main Authors: Obae, Samuel G, West, Todd P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.08.2010; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Cultivation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA sequencing; drug crops; Economic importance; explants; Flow cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomes; Herbal medicine; Hydrastis canadensis; in vitro regeneration; Life Sciences; Medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Micropropagation; molecular genetics; molecular sequence data; nuclear genome; nucleotide sequences; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plantlets; propagation materials; Research Note; Seeds; Stability analysis; wild plants; Yellow root; Tissue culture; Flow cytometry; Germplasm conservation; Goldenseal; Medicinal plant; Genome organization; Vegetals; Stability; Root; Genetic resource; Micropropagation; Microplant; Chromosome DNA
• ISSN: 0167-6857; 1573-5044
• DOI: 10.1007/s11240-010-9719-3

Knowing the genome size is an important step towards deciding and planning for genome sequencing of a given species. Using flow cytometry, nuclear DNA content of Hydrastis canadensis was estimated, and genome size stability of its in vitro regenerated plantlets were assessed. The nuclear DNA content of H. canadensis was estimated to be 2.62 ± 0.020 pg/2C. This is the first report to estimate nuclear DNA content of H. canadensis; therefore this study provides valuable information that will facilitate genome sequencing and subsequent molecular studies of this economically important medicinal plant. Comparison of genome size between in vitro regenerated (explant source was from wild plants) and wild plants of H. canadensis did not reveal any significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in nuclear DNA content. This suggests that micropropagation of H. canadensis, even after numerous sub-culturing and long-term culture periods produced in vitro plantlets with a stable genome size. These results provide further evidence that micropropagation techniques have the potential to be used as a source of planting stock, along with seeds, for restoring locally threatened H. canadensis wild populations and for commercial cultivation to supply the growing herbal market.