Gene Regulation by the AGL15 Transcription Factor Reveals Hormone Interactions in Somatic Embryogenesis.

The MADS box transcription factor Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) AGAMOUS-LIKE15 (AGL15) and a putative ortholog from soybean (Glycine max), GmAGL15, are able to promote somatic embryogenesis (SE) in these plants when ectopically expressed. SE is an important means of plant regeneration, but many plants, or even particular cultivars, are recalcitrant for this process. Understanding how (Gm)AGL15 promotes SE by identifying and characterizing direct and indirect downstream regulated genes can provide means to improve regeneration by SE for crop improvement and to perform molecular tests of genes.