Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Patterns of indole alkaloids synthesis in response to heat shock, 5-azacytidine and Na-butyrate treatment of cultured catharanthus roseus mesophyll protoplasts

Conference · · Plant Physiol., Suppl.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5332469
Alkaloids of C. roseus are in high demand for therapeutic and other reasons. Cultured Catharanthus cells can produce limited quantities of these alkaloids. The authors have found that cultured mesophyll protoplasts in the presence of /sup 14/C-Tryptamine are capable of synthesizing alkaloids. The pattern of alkaloids synthesis changes when protoplasts are subjected to a heat shock at 37/sup 0/C. The heat shocked protoplasts incorporated 33% more /sup 14/C-Tryptamine and produced 3 new types of alkaloids. Treatment of protoplasts with 5-azacytidine, a DNA hypomethylating agent and Na-butyrate which induces hyperacetylation of histones produced qualitative and quantitative changes in the alkaloid pattern. Four new alkaloids following the above treatments were detected by TLC and HPLC of the extracts. It is suggested that the alkaloid pattern of the cultured protoplasts can be altered by treatment with compounds known as regulators of gene expression. Work is in progress to isolate and identify these new alkaloids.
Research Organization:
Plant Biotechnology Institute, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
OSTI ID:
5332469
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Plant Physiol., Suppl.; (United States) Journal Volume: 80:4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English