Induction of a photomixotrophic plant cell culture of Helianthus annuus and optimization of culture conditions for improved α-tocopherol production

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Tocopherols, collectively known as vitamin E, are lipophilic antioxidants, which are synthesized only by photosynthetic organisms. Due to their enormous potential to protect cells from oxidative damage, tocopherols are used, e.g., as nutraceuticals and additives in pharmaceuticals. The most biologically active form of vitamin E is α-tocopherol. Most tocopherols are currently produced via chemical synthesis. Nevertheless, this always results in a racemic mixture of different and less effective stereoisomers because the natural isomer has the highest biological activity. Therefore, tocopherols synthesized in natural sources are preferred for medical purposes. The annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a well-known source for α-tocopherol. Within the presented work, sunflower callus and suspension cultures were established growing under photomixotrophic conditions to enhance α-tocopherol yield. The most efficient callus induction was achieved with sunflower stems cultivated on solid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 30 g l-1 sucrose, 0.5 mg l-1 of the auxin 1-naphthalene acetic acid, and 0.5 mg l -1 of the cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine. Photomixotrophic sunflower suspension cultures were induced by transferring previously established callus into liquid medium. The effects of light intensity, sugar concentration, and culture age on growth rate and α-tocopherol synthesis rate were characterized. A considerable increase (max. 230 %) of α-tocopherol production in the cells was obtained within the photomixotrophic cell culture compared to a heterotrophic cell culture. These results will be useful for improving α-tocopherol yields of plant in vitro cultures.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2029-2040
Number of pages12
JournalApplied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Volume98
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2014
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 24318010

Keywords

Keywords

  • Photobiotechnology, Photomixotrophic, Photosynthesis, Plant in vitro culture, Sunflower, Vitamin E

Library keywords