Production of Anthraquinones by In Vitro Culture of Plant Cells and Hairy Roots from Rubia tinctorum: Model for the Teaching of Bioprocesses in Courses of Plant Tissue Culture

PERASSOLO M; BUSTO VD; MINOIA J; CEREZO J; SMITH ME; MARTÍNEZ CA; QUEVEDO CV; GIULIETTI AM; RODRIGUEZ TALOU J * CORRESPONDING AUTHOR; CARDILLO AB

REVISTA MEXICANA DE INGENIERIA QUIMICA

UNIV AUTONOMA METROPOLITANA-IZTAPALAPA

Lugar: México D.F.; Año: 2022 vol. 1 p. 1 - 11

1665-2738

Plant in vitro cultures are an attractive and feasible alternative to produce secondary metabolites. Plant cultures assure a continuous product supply and standardized production according to Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. These bioprocesses also constitute an excellent tool for training postgraduate students. In fact, students can gain experience in different fields, such as plant biochemistry, molecular biology, plant primary and secondary metabolism, and biochemical engineering. In this work, anthraquinone production in different plant in vitro cultures of Rubia tinctorum is presented as a straightforward and versatile model to introduce postgraduate students into plant secondary metabolite production. The students were able to analyze biomass and product formation kinetics in batch cultures of cell suspensions and hairy roots, and evaluate the effect of methyljasmonate elicitation, a well-known strategy used to trigger secondary metabolite production in plant in vitro cultures. The performance of in situ product removal, extensively used in biocatalysis and microbial fermentations, was also evaluated. Students? self-evaluation revealed that laboratory work and subsequent data analysis helped them to reinforce the theoretical concepts acquired during lectures. In summary, an inexpensive, accessible, and robust laboratory work is presented that can be used in postgraduate courses in different plant biology, chemistry, and biochemical engineering programs.