Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture

, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp 153–161 | Cite as

Large scale fermentation and alkaloid production of cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus

  • Otmar Schiel
  • Jochen Berlin
Article

Abstract

Cell cultures of Catharanthus roseus were scaled up to volumes of 50001 using conventional reactors equipped with flat-blade impellers. The behavior of the fermenter grown cells was compared with corresponding shake flask experiments with respect to growth and indole alkaloid inducibility and production. The limits and problems of transferring shake flask experiments of culture systems such as Catharanthus, in which alkaloid production depends greatly upon the physiological state of the cells, to large scale multistage processes is discussed.

Key words

Catharanthus roseus suspension cultures indole alkaloids production fermentation 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. 1.
    Balague C, Wilson G (1982) Growth and alkaloid biosynthesis by cell suspensions of Catharanthus roseus in a chemostat under sucrose and phosphate limiting conditions. Physiol Veg 20:515–522Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    Berlin J (1986) Secondary products of plant cell cultures. In: H.J. Rehm and G. Reed (eds) Biotechnology: A Comprehensive treatise Vol. 4, chapter 21 Verlag Chemie, Weinheim (in press)Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Berlin J, Beier H, Fecker L, Forche E, Noe W, Sasse F, Schiel O, Wray V (1985) Conventional and new approaches to increase alkaloid production of plant cell cultures. In: Neumann KH, Barz W, Reinhard E (eds) Primary and Secondary Metabolism of Plant Cell Cultures Springer Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, pp 272–280Google Scholar
  4. 4.
    Fujita Y, Tabata M, Nishi A, Yamada Y (1982) New medium and production with the two-staged culture method. In:Fujiwara A (ed), Plant Tissue Culture 1982 Tokyo: Maruzen Co., pp 399–400Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Knobloch KH, Berlin J (1980) Influence of the medium composition on the formation of secondary compounds in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. Z Naturforsch 35c:551–556Google Scholar
  6. 6.
    Knobloch KH, Berlin J (1983) Influence of phosphate on the formation of the indole alkaloids and phenolic compounds in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus. I. Comparison of enzyme activities and product accumulation. Plant Cell Tissue Org Cult 2: 333–340Google Scholar
  7. 7.
    Knobloch KH, Bast G, Berlin J (1982) Medium-and light-induced formation of serpentine and anthocyanius in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus. Phytochemistry 21:591–594Google Scholar
  8. 8.
    Kohl W, Witte B, Höfle G (1983) Quantitative and qualitative HPLC-Analytik von Indolalkaloiden aus Catharanthus roseus-Zellkulturen. Planta Med 47: 177–182Google Scholar
  9. 9.
    Maurel B, Pareilleux A (1985) Effect of carbon dioxide on the growth of cell suspensions of Catharanthus roseus. Biotechnol Lett 7:313–318Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Merillon JM, Chenieux JC, Rideau M (1983) Time course of growth, evolution of sugar nitrogen metabolism and accumulation of alkaloids in cell suspension of Catharanthus roseus. Planta Med 47:169–177Google Scholar
  11. 11.
    Merillon JM, Rideau M, Chenieux JC (1984) Influence of sucrose on levels of ajmalicine, serpentine and tryptamine in Catharanthus roseus cells in vitro. Planta Med:497–501Google Scholar
  12. 12.
    Noe W, Mollenschott C, Berlin J (1984) Tryptophan decarboxylase activity of Catharanthus roseus cell suspension cultures: purification, molecular and kinetic data of the homogeneous protein. Plant Mol Biol 3:281–288Google Scholar
  13. 13.
    Pareilleux A, Vinas R (1983) Influence of the aeration rate on the growth yield in suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. J Ferment Technol 61:429–433Google Scholar
  14. 14.
    Pareilleux A, Vinas R (1984) A study on the alkaloid production by resting cell suspensions of Catharanthus roseus in a continuous flow reactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 19:316–320Google Scholar
  15. 15.
    Roustan JP, Ambid C, Fallot J (1982) Influence de l'acide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetique sur l'accumulation de certains alcaloides indoliques dans les cellules quiescentes de Catharanthus roseus cultivées in vitro. Physiol Veg 20:523–532Google Scholar
  16. 16.
    Schiel O, Jarchow-Redecker K, Piehl GW, Lehmann J, Berlin J (1984) Increased formation of cinnamoyl putrescines by fedbatch fermentation of cell suspension cultures of Nicotiana tabacum. Plant Cell Rep 3:18–20Google Scholar
  17. 17.
    Schiel O, Martin B, Piehl GW, Nowak J, Hammer J, Sasse F, Schaer W, Lehmann J, Berlin J (1984) Some technological aspects on the production of cinnamoyl putrescines by cell suspension cultures of Nicotiana tabacum. In: Proceedings III. Europ. Congress Biotechnology, Vol. 1. Weinheim-Basel: Verlag Chemie, pp 167–172Google Scholar
  18. 18.
    Smart NJ, Fowler MW (1981) Effect of aeration on large scale cultures of plant cells. Biotechnol Lett, pp 71–176Google Scholar
  19. 19.
    Smart NJ, Morris P, Fowler MW (1982) Alkaloid production by cells of Catharanthus roseus grown in airlift fermenter systems. In: Fujiwara A (ed) Plant Tissue Culture 1982 Tokyo: Maruzen Co., pp 397–398Google Scholar
  20. 20.
    Stafford A, Smith L, Fowler MW (1985) Regulation of product synthesis in cell cultures of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don: Growth-related indole alkaloid accumulation in batch cultures. Plant Cell Tissue Org Cult 4:83–94Google Scholar
  21. 21.
    Tal B, Rokem JS, Goldberg I (1984) Timing of diosgenin appearance in suspension cultures of Dioscorea deltoidea. Planta Med: 239–241Google Scholar
  22. 22.
    Tanaka H (1981) Technological problems in cultivation of plant cells at high density. Biotechnol Bioengin 23:1203–1218Google Scholar
  23. 23.
    Tanaka H (1982) Oxygen transfer in broths of plant cells at high density. Biotechnol Bioengin 24:425–442Google Scholar
  24. 24.
    Ulbrich B, Wiesner W, Arens H (1985) Large-scale production of rosmarinic acid from plant cell cultures of Coleus blumei. In: Neumann KH, Barz W, Reinhard E (eds) Primary and Secondary Metabolism of Plant Cell Cultures. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer Verlag, pp 293–303Google Scholar
  25. 25.
    Wagner F, Vogelmann H (1977) Cultivation of plant tissue cultures in bioreactors and formation of secondary products. In: Barz W, Reinhard E, Zenk MH (eds) Plant Tissue Culture and its biotechnological Application Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer Verlag, pp 245–252Google Scholar
  26. 26.
    Zenk MH, El-Shagi H, Arens H, Stöckigt J, Weiler EW, Deus B (1977) Formation of the indole alkaloids serpentine and ajmalicine in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus. In: Barz W, Reinhard E, Zenk MW (eds) Plant Tissue Culture and its Biotechnological Application. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer Verlag, pp 27–43Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers 1987

Authors and Affiliations

  • Otmar Schiel
    • 1
  • Jochen Berlin
    • 1
  1. 1.GBF-Gesellschaft f. Biotechnologische Forschung m.b.H.BraunschweigBRD

Personalised recommendations