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, V.D.; MINOIA, J.; CEREZO, J.; SMITH, M.E.; MARTÍNEZ, C.A.; QUEVEDO, C.V.; GIULETTI, A.M.; RODRÍGUEZ-TALOU, J.; CARDILLO, A.B.

REVISTA MEXICANA DE INGENIERIA QUIMICA

UNIV AUTONOMA METROPOLITANA-IZTAPALAPA

Año: 2022 vol. 21 p. 1 - 11

1665-2738

Plantin vitrocultures are an attractive and feasible alternative to produce secondary metabolites. Plant cultures assurea continuous product supply and standardized production according to Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Thesebioprocesses also constitute an excellent tool for training postgraduate students. In fact, students can gain experience in differentfields, such as plant biochemistry, molecular biology, plant primary and secondary metabolism, and biochemical engineering.In this work, anthraquinone production in different plantin vitrocultures ofRubia tinctorumis presented as a straightforwardand versatile model to introduce postgraduate students into plant secondary metabolite production. The students were able toanalyze biomass and product formation kinetics in batch cultures of cell suspensions and hairy roots, and evaluate the effect ofmethyljasmonate elicitation, a well-known strategy used to trigger secondary metabolite production in plantin vitrocultures.The performance ofin situproduct 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 theoreticalconcepts acquired during lectures. In summary, an inexpensive, accessible, and robust laboratory work is presented that can beused in postgraduate courses in different plant biology, chemistry, and biochemical engineering programs.