Cellular and metabolic characteristics of peach anther-derived callus

Abstract

Callus is an important material for horticulture research, especially for biotechnological applications, and can be used for the production of high-value metabolites. In this paper, anthers of peach (Prunus persica L.) varieties ‘Zaojiubao’, ‘Yanhong’, and ‘Xueyulu’ were used to induce callus lines, and the tissue morphology, subcellular structure, and metabolite profiles were characterized. Peach anther-derived calli were successfully induced in MS+1.0 mg/l ZT+1.0 mg/l 2,4-D + 0.5 mg/l IAA medium, and were stably subcultured in MS+1.0 mg/l BA+0.2 mg/l IBA+0.1 mg/l GA3 medium. SSR analysis confirmed the callus lines originated from somatic cells. Furthermore, microscopic observation of callus cells revealed some interesting cytological features, such as abundant mitochondria, which may be associated with vigorous growth and strong resistance to senescence, and suggests their potential for protoplast-related experiments such as transient expression. The metabolites in anther-derived calli were comparatively analyzed. Naringenin-7-O-glucoside (prunin), which has medicinal value as an anti-inflammatory and antiviral compound, was highly enriched in the callus lines, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside caused the red coloration of peach anther calli. Additionally, chlorogenic acid, and amino acid derivatives such as aspartic acid and leucine, as well as other organic acids, lipids, and alkaloids, were detected in the callus lines. This study showed a series of peach anther-derived callus lines have great potential for cell biology and transformation research, especially for the production of high value components, which can be used for medicinal purposes, health products, and food additives.