CELL CYCLE KINETICS OF ENDOREDUPLICATION IN GAMMA‐IRRADIATED ROOT MERISTEMS OF PISUM SATIVUM

Abstract

Label and mitotic indices and microspectrophotometry of unlabeled interphase cells were used to measure the proportion of root meristem cells of Pisum sativum in each cell cycle stage after exposure to protracted gamma irradiation. Three seedling types were investigated: 1) intact seedlings, 2) seedlings with cotyledons detached and treated with lanolin paste applied to the area of cotyledon excision, and 3) seedlings with detached cotyledons and treated with a G2 Factor applied to the area of cotyledon excision in lanolin paste. In intact seedling meristems, predominant cell arrest occurred with a 4C amount of DNA while 0.30 of the cells underwent endoreduplication to arrest with an 8C amount of DNA. Only 0.07 cells arrested with a 2C amount of DNA. Polyploid cells were produced several days after the start of irradiation and were derived from a diploid cell population. In seedlings exposed to lanolin only, without cotyledons, most cells arrested with a 2C amount of DNA with no polyploid cells. In seedlings exposed to a G2 Factor in lanolin after cotyledon excision, most cells arrested with a 4C amount of DNA but no cells underwent endoreduplication. These experimental results suggest that the G2 Factor derived from cotyledons of Pisum sativum was necessary for predominant cell arrest in G2 but alone was not sufficient for the polyploidization step.