RT Journal Article T1 Initiation of leaf somatic embryogenesis involves high pectin esterification, auxin accumulation and DNA demethylation in Quercus alba A1 Corredoira, Elena A1 Cano, Vanesa A1 Barany, Ivett A1 Solís González, María Teresa A1 Rodriguez-Sanz, Hector A1 Vieitez, Ana María A1 Risueño, María A1 Testillano, Pilar AB Somatic embryogenesis is considered a convenient tool for investigating the regulating mechanisms of embryo formation; it is also a feasible system for in vitro regeneration procedures, with many advantages in woody species. Nevertheless, trees have shown recalcitrance to somatic embryogenesis, and its efficiency remains very low in many cases. Consequently, despite the clear potential of somatic embryogenesis in tree breeding programs, its application is limited since factors responsible for embryogenesis initiation have not yet been completely elucidated.In the present work, we investigated key cellular factors involved in the change of developmental program during leaf somatic embryogenesis initiation of white oak (Quercus alba), aiming to identify early markers of the process. The results revealed that pectin esterification, auxin accumulation and DNA demethylation were induced during embryogenesis initiation and differentially found in embryogenic cells, while they were not present in leaf cells before induction or in non-embryogenic cells after embryogenesis initiation. These three factors constitute early markers of leaf embryogenesis and represent processes that could be interconnected and involved in the regulation of cell reprogramming and embryogenesis initiation.These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying plant cell reprogramming, totipotency and embryogenic competence acquisition, especially in tree species for which information is scarce, thus opening up the possibility of efficient manipulation of somatic embryogenesis induction. PB Elsevier YR 2017 FD 2017 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97738 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97738 LA eng NO Corredoira, Elena, et al. «Initiation of Leaf Somatic Embryogenesis Involves High Pectin Esterification, Auxin Accumulation and DNA Demethylation in Quercus Alba». Journal of Plant Physiology, vol. 213, junio de 2017, pp. 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2017.02.012. NO European Commission NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) DS Docta Complutense RD 28 abr 2025