RESUMO
During direct somatic embryogenesis in leaves of Cichorium hybrid clone '474', 38 kDa beta-1,3-glucanases are accumulated in the culture medium of the embryogenic hybrid to a higher level when compared with a non-embryogenic cultivar. In the same time, embryogenic cells were surrounded by a cell wall that was characterized by the presence of callose. This callosic deposition disappeared as embryos grew. Callose consisted of beta-1,3-glucan linkages and so represented a possible substrate for beta-1,3-glucanases. Using immunolocalization experiments, we demonstrated that from the three types of callose deposits observed during the culturing of Cichorium leaf explants, only the callose present in the walls surrounding reactivated cells seemed specifically related to somatic embryogenesis. Moreover, callose and the 38-kDa beta-1,3-glucanases were co-localized dispersed throughout the thick and swelled walls of reactivated cells and embryo cell walls. This suggests that callose and beta-1,3-glucanases are implicated in the process of somatic embryogenesis since they were always detected in or quite near embryogenic and embryo cell. This also suggested that beta-1,3-glucanases could be involved in the degradation of this callose.