Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is an effective approach of in vitro regeneration that depends on plant cell totipotency. However, largely unknown of molecular mechanisms of SE in woody plants such as Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume), limits the development of the woody plant industry. Here, we report the MADS-box transcription factor CmAGL11 in Chinese chestnut. CmAGL11 transcripts specifically accumulated in the globular embryo. Overexpression of CmAGL11 in chestnut callus enhanced its SE capacity, and the development of somatic embryos occurred significantly faster than in the control. RNA-seq results showed that CmAGL11 affects the expression of several genes related to the gibberellin, auxin, and ethylene pathways. Moreover, the analysis of DNA methylation status indicated that the promoter methylation plays a role in regulation of CmAGL11 expression during SE. Our results demonstrated that CmAGL11 plays an important role in the SE process in Chinese chestnut, possibly by regulating gibberellin, auxin, and ethylene pathways. It will help establish an efficient platform to accelerate genetic improvement and germplasm innovation in Chinese chestnut.

体细胞胚发生（SE）是一种有效的体外再生方法，它取决于植物细胞的全能性。然而，在板栗（栗木（Castanea mollissima Blume））等木本植物中，SE的分子机制尚不为人所知，这限制了木本植物产业的发展。在这里，我们报道了板栗中的MADS-box转录因子CmAGL11。CmAGL11转录本专门累积在球形胚胎中。CmAGL11的过表达在板栗愈伤组织中，其SE能力增强，体细胞胚的发生明显快于对照。RNA-seq结果表明，CmAGL11影响与赤霉素，生长素和乙烯途径有关的几个基因的表达。而且，对DNA甲基化状态的分析表明，启动子甲基化在SE期间在CmAGL11表达的调节中起作用。我们的结果表明，CmAGL11可能通过调节赤霉素，生长素和乙烯途径在板栗的SE过程中发挥重要作用。这将有助于建立一个有效的平台，以加快板栗的遗传改良和种质创新。