Expression pattern of the Arabidopsis thaliana AtEP3/AtchitIV endochitinase gene.

The carrot (Daucus carota L.) EP3 chitinase was shown to be essential for somatic embryo formation in a carrot mutant cell line. We identified the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. ortholog of the carrot EP3-3 chitinase gene, designated as AtEP3/AtchitIV and analyzed its expression in Arabidopsis by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and promoter::beta-glucuronidase and luciferase fusions. As in carrot, the gene is expressed during somatic embryogenesis in "nursing" cells surrounding the embryos but not in embryos themselves. In plants, gene expression is found in mature pollen and growing pollen tubes until they enter the receptive synergid, but not in endosperm and integuments as in carrot. Post-embryonically, expression is found in hydathodes, stipules, root epidermis and emerging root hairs, indicating that the Arabidopsis chitinase may have a function that is not restricted to embryogenesis.