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Alkaloid Synthesis in In Vitro Cultures of Catharanthus Roseus: Potential and Limitations

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The Catharanthus Genome

Part of the book series: Compendium of Plant Genomes ((CPG))

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Abstract

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, Madagascar periwinkle, was among the first plants to be explored for the in vitro production of fine chemicals, due to the high value of the cytotoxic dimer alkaloids that it accumulates in very low amounts. That goal has not been reached despite several decades, although without a doubt, cell culture technology has resulted in an extremely important tool in understanding the molecular basis that control alkaloid formation. This chapter presents an account of the effects of different media components and culture conditions, in the cellular mechanisms governing alkaloid formation and how this knowledge has contributed to make today the Catharanthus alkaloid biosynthetic pathway one of the better known. This level of understanding now allows the application of cutting-edge biotechnological approaches.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financed by CONACYT (National Council of Science and Technology, México; Grant CB-2016 285887).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida, Yucatán, 97205, México

    Felipe A. Vázquez-Flota

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  1. Felipe A. Vázquez-Flota
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Correspondence to Felipe A. Vázquez-Flota .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy Government of India, ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, India

    Chittaranjan Kole

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Vázquez-Flota, F.A. (2022). Alkaloid Synthesis in In Vitro Cultures of Catharanthus Roseus: Potential and Limitations. In: Kole, C. (eds) The Catharanthus Genome . Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89269-2_5

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