Effect of silver nitrate on sugarcane cell suspension growth, protoplast isolation, ethylene production and shoot regeneration from cell suspension cultures

Abstract

Silver nitrate (AgNO3), an inhibitor of the physiological action of ethylene, reduced cell growth, promoted ethylene production, increased the yield of protoplasts and reduced shoot regeneration from sugarcane heterogeneous cell suspension cultures. The increase in the rate of protoplast isolation from cultures treated with AgNO3 (0 to 59 μM) correlate with an increase in endogenous ethylene production by the cells. The addition to the culture medium of chemicals that either inhibited (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG) or promoted (aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, ACC) ethylene biosynthesis did not alter the number of protoplasts isolated from these cultures. However, protoplasts were isolated with AVG in combination with AgNO3 even though ethylene production was inhibited. These results suggested that AgNO3 may be having another more direct effect on protoplast release. One such site may be the cell wall or on cell metabolism conditioning cells to release protoplasts after enzyme treatment.