Advertisement

Betalains

Their Accumulation and Release In Vitro
Protocol
Part of the Methods In Molecular Biology™ book series (MIMB, volume 111)

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s the diverse group of compounds known as plant secondary metabolites, or secondary products, have assumed even greater significance than previously as compounds of commercial (e.g., taxol, rosmarinic acid) and social (e.g., “natural” fragrances and flavors) significance. The commercial production of these secondary metabolites remained field-based until the production of shikonin from plant cells in vitro (1). With few exceptions, the main world supply for most plant secondary metabolites remains the harvesting of field-grown plants followed by the extraction and/or direct utilization of the active pnnciple(s). The proportion of the plant that constitutes the compound of interest is invariably only a few percent of the total plant dry weight. For example, the maximum quinine content of Cinchona bark is 6–14%, and the bark is only a small portion of the entire tree (2). Some plants producing secondary metabolites are annuals or biennials, but many require long-term field-growth (Cinchona, 7–16 yr, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, 5–7 yr) before economic harvest. Field-grown crops are also subject to the vagaries of weather, pests, diseases, and nutrient availability. These, with other biotic and abiotic factors, continue to stimulate evaluation of alternative production systems for these compounds.

Keywords

Suspension Culture Hairy Root Rosmarinic Acid Plant Secondary Metabolite Lithospermum Erythrorhizon 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Fujita, Y., Tabata, M., Nishi, A., and Yamada, Y. (1982) New medium and production of secondary compounds with the two-staged culture method, in Proc 5th Intl Cong. Plant Tissue and Cell Culture (Fujiwara, A., ed), Maruzen Co, Tokyo, pp. 399–400.Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    McHale, D. (1986) The cinchona tree Biologist 33(1), 45–53.Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Taya, M, Mine, K., Kino-Ora, M., Tone, S., and Ichi, T. (1992) Production and release of pigments by culture of transformed hairy root of red beet J Fermentation Bioeng 73(1), 31–36CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Flores, H E. and Medina-Bolivar, F. (1995) Root cultures and plant natural products’ “unearthing” the hidden half of plant metabolism. Plant Tissue Cult. Biotechnol 1(2), 59–74.Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Scragg, A. H. (1995) The problems associated with high biomass levels in plant cell suspensions Plant Cell Tiss Org Cult 43, 163–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Alfermann, A W. and Peterson, M. (1995) Natural product formation by plant cell biotechnology. Plant Cell Tiss Org Cult 43, 199–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Khlebnikov, A, Dubuis, B., Kut, O. M, and Prenosil, J. E (1995) Growth and productivity of Beta vulgaris cell culture in fluidized bed reactors Bioprocess Eng 14, 51–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Ten Hoopen, H. J G., van Gulik, W M, Meijer, J. J, and Verpoorte, R (1994) Economic feasibility of industrial plant cell biotechnology: the effect of various process options, in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Cultures in Liquid Media (Macek, T. and Vanek, T., eds), Abstracts of symposium, July 8–11, Prague, CZ. pp. 22–30Google Scholar
  9. 9.
    Sankawa, U., Hakamatsuka, T., Shinkai, K., Yoshida, M., Park, H-H, and Ebizuka, Y. (1995) Changes of secondary metabolism by ehcitor treatment in Pueraria lobatqa cell cultures, in Current Issues in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (Terzi, M., Cella, R., and Falavigna, A, eds), Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, NL, pp. 595–604.Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Taya, M, Yakura, K., Kino-Oka, M, and Tone, S (1994) Influence of medium constituents on enhancement of pigment production by batch culture of red beet hairy roots. J Fermentation Bioeng 77, 215–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Dilono, A A., Weathers, P. J., and Cheetham, R. D (1993) Non-lethal secondary product release from transformed root cultures of Beta vulgaris Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 174–180Google Scholar
  12. 12.
    Kilby, N. J. and Hunter, C S. (1990) Towards optimisation of the use of 1.02-MHz ultrasound to harvest vacuole-located secondary product from in vitro grown plant cells Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 34, 478–480.Google Scholar
  13. 13.
    Kilby, N. J. and Hunter, C. S. (1990) Repeated harvest of vacuole-located secondary product from in vitro grown plant cells using 1.02 MHz ultrasound. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 33, 448–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. 14.
    Leathers, R. R., Davm, C, and Zryd, J. P. (1992) Betalam producing cell cultures of Beta vulgaris L var. Biokores Monogerm (red beet). In Vitro Cell Dev. Biol 28P, 39–45Google Scholar
  15. 15.
    Bohm, H. and Rink, E. (1988) Betalains in, Cell Culture and Somatic Cell Genetics of Plants, vol. 5 (Vasil, I. K, ed.), Academic, pp 449–463.Google Scholar
  16. 16.
    Kilby, N J. (1987) An investigation of metabolite release from plant cells in vitro to their surrounding medium PhD thesis, Bristol Polytechnic, UKGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Hamill, J. D., Parr, A. J., Robins, R. J., and Rhodes, M. J C. (1986) Secondary product formation by cultures of Beta vulgaris and Nicotiana rustica transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes Plant Cell Rep 5, 111–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Rhodes, M. J C., Smith, J.I, and Robins, R. J. (1987) Factors affecting the immobilization of plant cells on reticulated polyurethane foam particles. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 26, 28–35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    Kilby, N. J. and Hunter, C. S. (1986) Ultrasonic stimulation of betanin release from Beta vulgaris cells in vitro, a non-thermal, cavitation-mediated effect, in Abstracts of VI International Congress of Plant Cell and Tissue Culture (Somers, D A., Gengenback, B. G., Biesboer, D D., Hackett, W. P, and Green, C. E., eds.), University of Minnesota, MN, p. 352.Google Scholar
  20. 20.
    Gamborg, O. (1970) The effects of amino acids and ammonium on the growth of plant cells in suspension culture. Plant Physiol 45, 372–375PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ 1999

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of Applied SciencesUniversity of the West of EnglandBristolUK

Personalised recommendations

Cite protocol

Buy options