Fluorescent microscopy as a tool for studying the early events of plant somatic embryogenesis in alfalfa cells

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Ayaydin Ferhan¹ and Pasternak Taras²

¹Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Center, Temesvari krt. 62, H- 6701, Szeged, Hungary.
²Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, Natl. Acad. Sci., Zabolotnoho str., 148, 252650, Kiev, Ukraine.

Fluorescent microscopy is used to study the early events of cell division and somatic embryogenesis of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) mesophyll and root protoplasts. BCECF-AM and Hoechst 50342 fluorescent dyes are used for cytoplasmic pH- measurements and viable nuclear/chromosomal staining, respectively. The results showed that fluorescence of the dividing mesophyll cells growth under embryogenic 2,4-D concentration (2 mg/l) is higher than that of cells under non-embryogenic (0.2 mg/l) 2,4-D concentration. The results of cytoplasmic pH measurements during symmetric and asymmetric cell division will be presented and discussed.