Effect of Methyl Jasmonate on the Growth and Biosynthesis of C13- and C14-Hydroxylated Taxoids in the Cell Culture of Yew (Taxus wallichiana Zucc.) of Different Ages

Abstract

The effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJ) on growth and taxoid formation in the cell culture of Taxus wallichiana were investigated to elucidate the specifics of phytohormone action in dedifferentiated plant cells in vitro. The characteristics of the same suspension cell culture were compared in 2017 (the «young» culture) and in 2022 (the «old» culture)—1.5 or 6 years after culture induction, respectively. MeJ (100 µM) is added to the cell suspension at the end of the exponential growth phase. Cell culture demonstrated good growth (dry weight accumulation 10–18 g/L, specific growth rate µ = 0.15–0.35 day−1) regardless of its «age», cultivation system, and MeJ addition. UPLC-ESI-MS analysis revealed the presence of C14-hydroxylated taxoids (yunnanxane, taxuyunnanine C, sinenxane C, and sinenxane B) in the cell biomass. The content of C14-OH taxoids increased from 0.2–1.6 mg/gDW in «young» culture to 0.6–10.1 mg/gDW in «old» culture. Yunnanxane was the main compound in «young» culture, while sinenxane C predominated in «old» culture. Without elicitation, small amounts of C13-OH taxoids (<0.05 mg/gDW) were found only in «young» cultures. MeJ addition to «young» culture had no effect on the content of C14-OH taxoids but caused a 10-fold increase in C13-OH taxoid production (up to 0.12–0.19 mg/gDW, comparable to the bark of yew trees). By contrast, MeJ added to «old» culture was not beneficial for the production of C13-OH taxoids but notably increased the content of C14-OH taxoids (1.5–2.0 times in flasks and 5–8 times in bioreactors). These findings suggest that hormonal signaling in dedifferentiated yew cells grown in vitro is different from that in plants and can be affected by the culture’s age. This might be a result of the high level of culture heterogeneity and constant auto-selection for intensive proliferation, which leads to the predominant formation of C14-OH taxoids versus C13-OH taxoids and a modified cell response to exogenous MeJ treatment.

Uncovering the Role of Hydroxycinnamoyl Transferase in Boosting Chlorogenic Acid Accumulation in Carthamus tinctorius Cells under Methyl Jasmonate Elicitation

“…Interestingly, most of the primary metabolites showed a downward trend in this study. This may be due to the inhibitory effect of MeJA on primary metabolism, consistent with the previous report of a significant decrease in plant cell or tissue biomass after MeJA treatment [28,29].…”

Bioreactor Systems for Plant Cell Cultivation at the Institute of Plant Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences: 50 Years of Technology Evolution from Laboratory to Industrial Implications

“…6 and 7, Table 1) for plant cell suspension cultivation. Our studies confirmed that these bioreactors were the most favorable for the cultivation of undifferentiated plant cells and had fewer disadvantages compared to bioreactors of other types [21,80,[87][88][89][90].…”

“…In our studies, this problem was approached by stepwise analysis of the critical parameters reflecting the physiological state of plant cell cultures at all stages of the upscaling process, from flasks to industrial bioreactors. The development and optimization of the technology for the industrial cultivation of suspension cell cultures was mainly focused on Dioscorea deltoidea, Polyscias filicifolia, Panax japonicus, and Taxus wallichiana [21,[87][88][89]124,169]. For these cell cultures, changes in growth dynamics and the accumulation of secondary metabolites between the different stages of the upscaling process (Figure 4) were identified and critically analyzed.…”

“…The semi-continuous cultivation was selected for upscaling as the most flexible and productive regime both in terms of biomass and secondary metabolite yield (Table 2). Bubble-type bioreactors (total volume 20-630 L, Figure 4) were chosen for the upscaling scheme based on the highest growth and biosynthetic characteristics of the cell strains observed in this type of bioreactors [83,87,88,124]. Bioreactors with a 20 L volume were inoculated directly from flasks.…”

Suspension Cell Culture of Polyscias fruticosa (L.) Harms in Bubble-Type Bioreactors—Growth Characteristics, Triterpene Glycosides Accumulation and Biological Activity

“…It is likely that the growth limitations may be associated with higher stress levels in the bubble-type bioreactors in comparison with flasks [37,54,59]. However, the type of bioreactors used in the present study was selected based on our previous successful experience with suspension cell cultures of a number of medicinal species, such as Dioscorea deltoidea, Panax japonicus, Stephania glabra, Taxus wallichiana, and a relative species Polyscias filicifolia [35,[60][61][62]. These cultures retained their main characteristics during cultivation in bioreactors of this type.…”