Biotransformation by plant cell cultures

Production of essential oils and flavours in plant cell and tissue cultures. A review

“…Partly with the aim of finding industrially important biotransformation reactions, e.g. the conversion of fl-methyldigitoxin to fl-methyldigoxin by cell cultures of Digitalis lanata [115]. Partly to find possible blocks in biosynthetic pathways, which could be responsible for the low production of the desired products.…”

Production of Alkaloids in Plant Cell Culture

“…Ideally suited for one-step bioconversions, immobilized cells may be seen as an extension of enzyme immobilization technology that avoids the costs of enzyme purification, and covalent attachment to an enzyme support. Immobilized cells also have a further advantage over immobilized enzyme systems in their high relative activity and extended stability; for example, immobilized cells of C. roseus continued to make ajmalicine and serpentine over a 4-month period (Reinhard and Alfermann, 1980;Brodelius and Mosbach, 1982;Rhodes, 1986). Immobilized plant cells are likely to be commercially useful only for reactions not carried out by microorganisms.…”

Vegetables as Chemical Reagents

“…By comparison, less attention has been given to the use of plants as potential sources of enzymes that could conduct selected organic reactions. Several years ago, Reinhard and Alfermann 75 provided a very interesting review of the biotransformations induced by substrate addition to plant cell cultures, with a particular emphasis on aromatic compounds, coumarins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and steroids. It was noted that a number of systems were able to perform transformations that did not relate to known substrates and isolates of the intact plant (e.g., the conversion of tryptophan to harman and nor-harman by Phaseolus Vulgaris L. cultures).…”