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Gibberellic Acid Increases Secondary Metabolite Production in Echinacea purpurea Hairy Roots

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Abstract

Gibberellic acid (GA3) is reported to have diverse effects on hairy root cultures of many plant species; therefore, the effects of GA3 on the growth, secondary metabolite production (caffeic acid derivatives and lignin), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity, and free radical scavenging activity of light-grown Echinacea purpurea L. hairy roots were investigated. Eight concentrations of GA3, ranging from 0.005 to 1.0 μM, were added to shake flask cultures. The moderate GA3 concentration, 0.025 μM, resulted in the highest concentrations of cichoric acid, caftaric acid, and chlorogenic acid, as well as increased PAL activity, cell viability, and free radical scavenging activity, while higher and lower GA3 concentrations resulted in reduced levels compared to the control (lacking GA3). The moderate GA3 concentration also affected root morphogenesis; supplementation with 0.025 μM GA3 resulted in the development of thick, dense, purple-colored roots, while roots exposed to the higher and lower concentrations of GA3 were thin and off-white. This study demonstrates that supplementation with GA3 may be an excellent strategy to optimize the production of secondary metabolites from E. purpurea hairy root cultures; however, the GA3 concentration is a critical factor.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 21150110459), the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (nos. YZ-06-03 & Y227051304), the Chinese Academy of Sciences Fellowship for Young International Scientists (no. 2011Y1GA01), the Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists (no. 2011T1G05), and the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation, Canada. Abbasi BH acknowledges financial support of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for providing financial assistance for PhD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People’s Republic of China

    Bilal H. Abbasi, Amanda R. Stiles & Chun-Zhao Liu

  2. Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation and Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Praveen K. Saxena

  3. National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100080, People’s Republic of China

    Chun-Zhao Liu

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  1. Bilal H. Abbasi
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  2. Amanda R. Stiles
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  4. Chun-Zhao Liu
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Correspondence to Chun-Zhao Liu.

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Abbasi, B.H., Stiles, A.R., Saxena, P.K. et al. Gibberellic Acid Increases Secondary Metabolite Production in Echinacea purpurea Hairy Roots. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 168, 2057–2066 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-012-9917-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-012-9917-z

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