Protein variation accompanies leaf dedifferentiation in sugarcane (Sacchamm officinarum) and is influenced by genotype.

Tissue culture lines (morphogenic and nonmorphogenic) were established in five genotypes of Saccharum officinarum L. Changes in protein expression after dedifferentiation of leaf tissue into callus were investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of cellular proteins. The findings demonstrated that protein expression was regulated both quantitatively and qualitatively in all five genotypes of sugarcane. Sixty-three dedifferention-proteins were identified, of which thirty-three were common to all genotypes. The expression of the remainder was dependent on the genotype, suggesting that the genotype within the same sugarcane species plays an important role in dedifferentiation. Three of the dedifferentiation-proteins were specific to morphogenic callus lines and one to nonmorphogenic callus lines. These proteins can be useful in characterizing the biochemical, molecular, and genetic properties of cultured cells in sugarcane, and in understanding the influence of genotype in the induction of dedifferentiation-proteins and their role in morphogenesis.