Biotechnological applications of plant cells

Biotechnological applications of plant cells in culture

For many workers, the most exciting recent advances in the realm of plant cell biotechnology, center on results obtained from experiments concerned with the genetic engineering of plant cells. Various groups of workers have managed to introduce new genetic material into plant cells, using Ti-plasmids (or modified Ti-plasmids) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This genetic material has been expressed (with varying degrees of efficiency), in each case. Thus the way may possibly be coming clear to produce plant cell cultures, or whole plants with entirely new or novel properties. Other areas in which progress has been made, are in the design of media conditions to promote secondary product formation, and in ways of immobilizing plant cells and enzymes, to achieve efficient secondary product formation.

Studies on tissue cultures of the genus Cinchona L. alkaloid production in cell suspension cultures

Initiation and culture of callus and cell suspensions of Cinchona ledgeriana and C. succirubra as well as the successful isolation and selection of a high-yielding alkaloid-forming strain derived from the leaf rachis of a C. succirubra plant are described. Results of feeding experiments with L-tryptophan using two different culture procedures are presented and discussed. Maximum alkaloid yields of up to 0.9% (based on dry weight) or 6.35 mg/l have been obtained.