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Catharanthus roseus alkaloids: application of biotechnology for improving yield

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An Erratum to this article was published on 15 August 2015

Abstract

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. is a well known medicinal plant. It produces several phyto-compounds many of which show anticancerous properties. The yields of these compounds are however, very low. In this present article, the current development of secondary metabolite synthesis in C. roseus involving biotechnology has been reviewed keeping in mind the various basic factors that influence yield. The importance of cell culture, the role of culturing conditions and other approaches aiming at higher production of alkaloids have been discussed. The genes encoding important enzymes, proteomics, expressed sequence tag and transcription factors in relation to alkaloid yield have also been summarized in order to understand the regulatory mechanisms of C. roseus.

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Abbreviations

2, 4-D:

2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyaceticacid

BA/BAP:

6-Benzyladenine

DMSO:

Dimethylsulfoxide

GA3 :

Gibberellic acid

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

KN:

Kinetin

MS:

Murashige and Skoog

NAA:

α-Naphthalene acetic acid

PGR:

Plant growth regulator

SE:

Somatic embryos

TDC:

Tryptophan decarboxylase

SSS:

Strictosidine synthetase

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Acknowledgments

The first author is highly thankful to Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and Department of Botany, Hamdard University (Jamia Hamdard), New Delhi, for providing financial assistance and other facilities. The help rendered by present and past research students is also acknowledged. We wish to thank anonymous reviewers for their comments on manuscript and critical reading.

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  1. Cellular Differentiation and Molecular Genetics Section, Department of Botany, Hamdard University, New Delhi, 110062, India

    Abdul Mujib, Abdul Ilah, Junaid Aslam, Samar Fatima, Zahid Hameed Siddiqui & Mehpara Maqsood

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Correspondence to Abdul Mujib.

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An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0109-z.

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Mujib, A., Ilah, A., Aslam, J. et al. Catharanthus roseus alkaloids: application of biotechnology for improving yield. Plant Growth Regul 68, 111–127 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-012-9704-4

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