Glutathione modulation ofin vitrodevelopment

It is well known that glutathione is a ubiquitous and multifunctional compound which is important in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. The balance between the reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) forms of this tripeptide plays a fundamental role in basic physiological and metabolic processes in plants. Recently, a remarkable amount of evidence has suggested that the role of glutathione within the plant system extends beyond the basic metabolic functions and that it may ultimately act as a modulator of plant development and morphogenesis. Therefore, it is not surpring that research has begung to focus on using the glutathione redox pair system for improving regeneration of cultured cells. One of the major themes that has emerged from in vitro studies is that GSH promotes cell proliferation, while GSSG promotes organized development. Thus, in vitro manipulation of this redox compound within the culture medium could lead to an enhancement of plant regeneration.