This research was supported by the Australian Research Council grant CEO348212 and the University of Newcastle. The assistance of Dr. Sam Zhang is acknowledged.

1. Zygotic Embryo Development
<ol>
	<li>Plant Material
	<ol>
		<li>Grow the Medicago truncatula wild type Jemalong or its near isogenic, highly re-generable genotype Jemalong 2HA13 (known as 2HA) in a glasshouse with a 14 hr photoperiod and 23&#160;&#176;C/19&#160;&#176;C day/night temperature.
		<ol>
			<li>Pierce the surface of the seed coat (with a 23 G needle) prior to sowing the seed so that water is allowed to enter the seed and soak in water overnight. Add enough water to fully cover the seed...

<ol>
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D., Udvardi, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Translating+Medicago+truncatula+genomics+to+crop+legumes.">Translating Medicago truncatula genomics to crop legumes.</a> Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 12 (2), 193-201 (2009).</li><li>Young, N. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Medicago+genome+provides+insights+into+the+evolution+of+rhizobial+symbioses.">The Medicago genome provides insights into the evolution of rhizobial symbioses.</a> Nature. 480 (7378), 520-524 (2011).</li><li>Gallardo, K., Le Signor, C., Vandekerckhove, J., Thompson, R. D., Burstin, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Proteomics+of+Medicago+truncatula+seed+development+establishes+the+time+frame+of+diverse+metabolic+processes+related+to+reserve+accumulation.">Proteomics of Medicago truncatula seed development establishes the time frame of diverse metabolic processes related to reserve accumulation.</a> Plant Physiol. 133 (2), 664-682 (2003).</li><li>Verdier, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Gene+expression+profiling+of+M.+truncatula+transcription+factors+identifies+putative+regulators+of+grain+legume+seed+filling.">Gene expression profiling of M. truncatula transcription factors identifies putative regulators of grain legume seed filling.</a> Plant Mol. Biol. 67 (6), 567-580 (2008).</li><li>Thompson, R., Burstin, J., Gallardo, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Post-genomic+studies+of+developmental+processes+in+legume+seeds.">Post-genomic studies of developmental processes in legume seeds.</a> Plant Physiol. 151 (3), 1023-1029 (2009).</li><li>Wang, X. -. D., Song, Y., Sheahan, M. B., Garg, M. L., Rose, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=From+embryo+sac+to+oil+and+protein+bodies:+embryo+development+in+the+model+legume+Medicago+truncatula.">From embryo sac to oil and protein bodies: embryo development in the model legume Medicago truncatula.</a> New Phytol. 193 (2), 327-338 (2012).</li><li>Kurdyukov, S., Song, Y., Sheahan, M. B., Rose, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transcriptional+regulation+of+early+embryo+development+in+the+model+legume+Medicago+truncatula.">Transcriptional regulation of early embryo development in the model legume Medicago truncatula.</a> Plant Cell Rep. 33 (2), 349-362 (2014).</li><li>Mansfield, S. G., Briarty, L. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Early+embryogenesis+in+Arabidopsis+thaliana.+2.+The+developing+embryo.">Early embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. 2. The developing embryo.</a> Can. J. Botany. 69 (3), 461-476 (1991).</li><li>Seefried, W. F., Willman, M. R., Clausen, R. L., Jenik, P. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Global+regulation+of+embryonic+patterning+in+Arabidopsis+by+microRNAs.">Global regulation of embryonic patterning in Arabidopsis by microRNAs.</a> Plant Physiol. 165 (2), 670-687 (2014).</li><li>Birnbaum, K. D., S&#225;nchez Alvarado, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Slicing+across+kingdoms:+regeneration+in+plants+and+animals.">Slicing across kingdoms: regeneration in plants and animals.</a> Cell. 132 (4), 697-710 (2008).</li><li>Rose, R. J., Nolan, K. E., Bicego, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+development+of+the+highly+regenerable+seed+line+Jemalong+2HA+for+transformation+of+Medicagotruncatula+-+implications+for+regenerability+via+somatic+embryogenesis.">The development of the highly regenerable seed line Jemalong 2HA for transformation of Medicagotruncatula - implications for regenerability via somatic embryogenesis.</a> J. Plant Physiol. 155 (6), 788-791 (1999).</li><li>Nolan, K. E., Song, Y., Liao, S., Saeed, N., Zhang, X., Rose, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+unusual+ABA+and+GA+synergism+increases+somatic+embryogenesis,+facilitates+its+genetic+analysis+and+improves+transformation+in+Medicago+truncatula.">An unusual ABA and GA synergism increases somatic embryogenesis, facilitates its genetic analysis and improves transformation in Medicago truncatula.</a> PloS ONE. 9 (6), e99908 (2014).</li><li>Liu, C. M., Meinke, D. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+titan+mutants+of+Arabidopsis+are+disrupted+in+mitosis+and+cell+cycle+control+during+seed+development.">The titan mutants of Arabidopsis are disrupted in mitosis and cell cycle control during seed development.</a> Plant J. 16 (1), 21-31 (1998).</li><li>Nolan, K. E., Kurdyukov, S., Rose, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Expression+of+the+SOMATIC+EMBRYOGENESIS+RECEPTOR-LIKE+KINASE+1+(SERK1)+gene+is+associated+with+developmental+change+in+the+life+cycle+of+the+model+legume+Medicago+truncatula.">Expression of the SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 1 (SERK1) gene is associated with developmental change in the life cycle of the model legume Medicago truncatula.</a> J. Exp. Bot. 60 (6), 1759-1771 (2009).</li><li>Iantcheva, A., Vlahova, M., Atanassov, A., Mathesius, U., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Somatic+embryogenesis+from+leaf+explants.">Somatic embryogenesis from leaf explants.</a> The Medicago truncatula handbook. , (2006).</li><li>Thomas, M. R., Johnson, L. B., White, F. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Selection+of+interspecific+somatic+hybrids+of+Medicago+by+using+Agrobacterium+transformed+tissues.">Selection of interspecific somatic hybrids of Medicago by using Agrobacterium transformed tissues.</a> Plant Sci. 69 (2), 189-198 (1990).</li><li>Ochatt, S. J., Thorpe, T. A., Yeung, E. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Immature+seeds+and+embryos+of+Medicago+truncatula+cultured+in+vitro.">Immature seeds and embryos of Medicago truncatula cultured in vitro.</a> Plant Embryo Culture: Methodsand Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology. 710, 39-52 (2011).</li><li>Mantiri, F. R., Kurdyukov, S., Lohar, D. P., Sharopova, N., Saeed, N. A., Wang, X. D., VandenBosch, K. A., Rose, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+transcription+factor+MtSERF1+of+the+ERF+subfamily+identified+by+transcriptional+profiling+is+required+for+somatic+embryogenesis+induced+by+auxin+plus+cytokinin+in+Medicago+truncatula.">The transcription factor MtSERF1 of the ERF subfamily identified by transcriptional profiling is required for somatic embryogenesis induced by auxin plus cytokinin in Medicago truncatula.</a> Plant Physiol. 146 (4), 1622-1636 (2008).</li></ol>

The protocols described are relatively straight forward and allow investigation of legume embryogenesis with all the contemporary cell and molecular techniques. We recognize that there are advantages and disadvantages of both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Both allow more focus on early embryogenesis compared to culture of immature seeds19.
In the case of in vivo studies what is described is predominantly the isolation of the ovule from the pod which is ...

Legumes are the third largest family of higher plants with approximately 20,000 species and the Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) family are second to cereals in area harvested and total production1. Soybean is the third largest cultivated crop. Grain legumes provide about one-third of dietary protein and one-third of vegetable oil for human consumption2. Legumes with their N2 fixing capacity also contribute to sustainable agricultural systems. Medicago truncatula, like soybean, stores protein and oil in the cotyledons of its seeds and is a genetic and genomic legume model with considerable genetic and genomic resources3,4. While M. truncatula has enabled advances in understanding the legume-rhizobium symbiosis4 it has been increasingly employed to study legume seed biology5-7 and embryogenesis8,9. Arabidopsis embryogenesis has been extensively studied10,11 but it is a non-legume and the details of embryogenesis are not identical to Medicago8,10. Zygotic embryogenesis in M. truncatula has interesting features, with a distinctive multicellular hypophysis, an endoployploid suspensor and basal transfer cell8.
Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is commonly used for regenerating plants12. In the legume model M. truncatula, the seed line Jemalong 2HA (2HA) has been developed from the parent Jemalong to have high rates of somatic embryogenesis13. The number of embryos produced has recently been substantively increased by adding both gibberellic acid (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) to the long established medium14. In this case GA and ABA act synergistically, which is unusual given that GA and ABA usually act antagonistically14. The embryos produced from callus develop on the surface which allows the stage of embryogenesis to be readily determined visually and readily harvested. Having near isogenic lines that are embryogenic (2HA) and non-embryogenic (Jemalong) facilitates the investigation of somatic embryogenesis and having both in vivo and in vitro systems provides different experimental possibilities.
Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of embryo development is essential for understanding seed and plant development. In legumes, as in other dicotyledons, it is the cotyledons of the embryo that store the products that are used for human nutrition. Early embryogenesis involves rapid cell division, and correct embryo patterning. In approximately 8 days after fertilization, the M. truncatula embryo reaches early cotyledon stages. The morphological characterization is not exactly indicated by days after fertilization in glasshouse conditions. Thus, an efficient standardized approach to indicate the stage of developing embryos is valuable in studying the genetic regulation of early zygotic embryogenesis.
In this paper, we provide two standardized protocols to collect developing embryos for biological studies of embryogenesis in the legume model M. truncatula. The first one is to collect zygotic embryos by associating embryogenesis and pod morphology while the second is somatic embryogenesis via culturing leaf explants to provide easily accessed large embryo numbers.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr >
			<td >P4 medium</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Use Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals or other analytical grade supplier</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Major salts</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Minor salts</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Vitamins</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Agar</td>
			<td>Bacto Laboratories</td>
			<td>214010</td>
			<td>Bacto agar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Plant hormones</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >1-Naphthaleneacetic acid</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>N0640</td>
			<td>Dissolve in small amount of 1 M NaOH</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Abscisic acid</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A1049</td>
			<td>Dissolve in small amount of 1 M NaOH</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >6-Benzylaminopurine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>B3274</td>
			<td>Dissolve in MQ water with heating and few drops 1N HCl</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Gibberellic Acid</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G7645</td>
			<td>Dissolve in small amount of ethanol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Stereo dissecting microscope</td>
			<td>Leica</td>
			<td>MZFLIII</td>
			<td>Or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Light microscope</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>Axiophot</td>
			<td>Or similar, with suitable optics</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Digital camera</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>AxioCam HRc</td>
			<td>Or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Sterilising leaves</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >250 mL screw cap polycarbonate container with polypropylene lid</td>
			<td>SARSTEDT</td>
			<td>75.9922.519</td>
			<td>Autoclavable</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

protocols for obtaining zygotic and somatic embryos for studying the regulation of early embryo development in the model legume medicago truncatula

Early embryogenesis starting from a single cell zygote goes through rapid cell division and morphogenesis, and is morphologically characterized by pre-globular, globular, heart, torpedo and cotyledon stages. This progressive development is under the tight regulation of a complex molecular network. Harvesting sufficient early embryos at a similar stage of development is essential for investigating the cellular and molecular regulation of early embryogenesis. This is not straightforward since early embryogenesis undergoes rapid morphogenesis in a short while e.g. 8 days for Medicago truncatula to reach the early cotyledon stage. Here, we address the issue by two approaches. The first one establishes a linkage between embryo development and pod morphology in helping indicate the stage of the zygotic embryo. This is particularly based on the number of pod spirals and development of the spines. An alternative way to complement the in vivo studies is via culturing leaf explants to produce somatic embryos. The medium includes an unusual hormone combination - an auxin (1-naphthaleneacetic acid), a cytokinin (6-benzylaminopurine), abscisic acid and gibberellic acid. The different stages can be discerned growing out of the callus without dissection.

For zygotic embryogenesis different pod structures corresponding to the different embryo stages are shown in Figure 1A-F while the different embryo stages are shown in Figure 2A-F. By selecting pods at the same stage, samples of ovules that are quite uniform can be obtained (Figure 3A). By using RT-qPCR embryo specific genes can be readily detected and time course studies evaluated9. Some additional dissection will allow for f...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Protocols for Obtaining Zygotic and Somatic Embryos for Studying the Regulation of Early Embryo Development in the Model Legume Medicago truncatula at JoVE.co

Protocols for Obtaining Zygotic and Somatic Embryos for Studying the Regulation of Early Embryo Development in the Model Legume Medicago truncatula

The goal is to illustrate that the model legume Medicago truncatula can be readily utilized to investigate the regulation of early plant embryogenesis to complement the non-legume Arabidopsis model. Pod morphology is linked to zygotic embryogenesis stages and a protocol to collect embryos using tissue culture is also provided.

Protocols for Obtaining Zygotic and Somatic Embryos for Studying the Regulation of Early Embryo Development in the Model Legume Medicago truncatula

Early embryogenesis starting from a single cell zygote goes through rapid cell division and morphogenesis, and is morphologically characterized by ...

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13.8K Views.  University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. The goal is to illustrate that the model legume Medicago truncatula can be readily utilized to investigate the regulation of early plant embryogenesis to complement the non-legume Arabidopsis model. Pod morphology is linked to zygotic embryogenesis stages and a protocol to collect embryos using tissue culture is also provided. 

Video: Protocols for Obtaining Zygotic and Somatic Embryos for Studying the Regulation of Early Embryo Development in the Model Legume Medicago truncatula