Plant regeneration in Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. et Fernand. from embryogenic callus and cell suspension culture and assessment of genetic fidelity of plants derived through somatic embryogenesis.

Efficient in vitro propagation of medicinally important endangered plant C. borivilianum has been achieved through somatic embryogenesis. Solid embryogenic medium [Murashige and Skoog medium containing 1.79 mM NH4NO3, 10.72 mM KNO3, 1.13 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 7.38 µM 2-isopentenyladenine and 0.76 mM proline] supplemented with polyethylene glycol and sucrose (3 % each), exhibited 1.88-fold increase in embryo maturation compared to embryogenic medium containing 3 % sucrose. Liquid embryogenic medium supported better somatic embryo production and maturation. Highest total (79) and mature (cotyledonary stage) somatic embryos (38) as well as highest germination (57.5 %) was observed at inoculum density of 0.4 g/40 ml of liquid medium. 5.86 pH level exhibited optimal growth, maturation and germination of somatic embryos. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of C. borivilianum plants regenerated through somatic embryogenesis revealed that they were genetically similar to the mother plant. The protocol established in the present study can be used for rapid mass multiplication of C. borivilianum in bioreactor employing liquid medium.

An extensive case study of hairy-root cultures for enhanced secondary-metabolite production through metabolic-pathway engineering.

An intrinsic improvement is taking place in the methodologies for the development of culture systems with first-rate production of plant-based molecules. The blending of HR (hairy root) cultures with ME (metabolic engineering) approaches offers new insights into, and possibilities for, improving the system productivity for known and/or novel high-value plant-derived active compounds. The introduction and expression of foreign genes in plants results in improvement of cellular activities by manipulating enzymatic, regulatory and transport function of the cell. The rational amendments in the rate-limiting steps of a biosynthetic pathway as well as inactivating the inefficient pathway(s) for by-product formation can be accomplished either through single-step engineering or through the multi-step engineering. The hierarchical control of any metabolic process can lead the engineer to apply the ME ideas and principles to any of the strata, including transcriptional, moving on to translational and enzymatic activity. The HR culture systems offer a remarkable potential for commercial production of a number of low-volume, but high-value, secondary metabolites. Taking HR as a model system, in the present review, we discuss engineering principles and perceptions to exploit secondary-metabolite pathways for the production of important bioactive compounds. We also talk about requisites and possible challenges that occur during ME, with emphasis on examples of various HR systems. Furthermore, it also highlights the utilization of global information obtained from '-omic' platforms in order to explore pathway architecture, structural and functional aspects of important enzymes and genes that can support the design of sets of engineering, resulting in the generation of wide-ranging views of DNA sequence-to-metabolite passageway networking and their control to obtain desired results.

In vitro propagation of an endangered medicinal herb Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. et Fernand. through somatic embryogenesis.

Tuberous roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. et Fernand. which are a source of steroidal saponins, possess immunomodulatory, adaptogenic, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, diuretic, hemostatic and anti-tumour properties. Poor seed setting and germination and slow growth in conventional vegetative propagation are major constraints in the large-scale cultivation of this commercially important medicinal plant. In the present study, a procedure for in vitro propagation of this endangered herb through somatic embryogenesis has been established. Seeds of Chlorophytum borivilianum were germinated on MS medium supplemented with 57.74 µM gibberellic acid and hypocotyl portion from germinated seedling was used as explant for callus induction. Moderate to good callus induction was observed on MS medium containing 1.16 µM kinetin and 1.13-2.26 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Regular subculturing of callus on kinetin (1.16 µM) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (1.13 µM) supplemented medium induced somatic embryogenesis. In modified MS medium, 1.79 mM NH4NO3 and 10.72 mM KNO3 was optimal for somatic embryogenesis. 7.38 µM 2-isopentenyladenine supplemented to modified MS medium, showed best response for somatic embryogenesis while proline (0.76 mM) as an amino acid supplement gave better response than glutamine. 30% germination of mature somatic embryos was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 15.54 µM 6-benzylaminopurine. Multiplication of C. borivilianum through somatic embryogenesis may offer a better approach compared to organogenesis for developing scale-up technology employing bioreactors for its mass propagation.

Elicitor-induced cellular and molecular events are responsible for productivity enhancement in hairy root cultures: an insight study.

A wide range of external stress stimuli triggers a plant cell to undergo a complex network of reactions that ultimately lead to the synthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites help the plant to survive under stress challenge. The potential of biotic and abiotic elicitors for the induction and enhancement of secondary metabolite production in various culture systems including hairy root (HR) cultures is well-known. The elicitor-induced defense responses involves signal perception of elicitor by a cell surface receptor followed by its transduction involving some major cellular and molecular events including activation of major secondary message signaling pathways. This result in induction of gene expressions escorting to the synthesis of various proteins mainly associated with plant defense responses and secondary metabolite synthesis and accumulation. The review discusses the elicitor-induced various cellular and molecular events and correlates them with enhanced secondary metabolite synthesis in HR systems. Further, this review also concludes that combining elicitation with in-silico approaches enhances the usefulness of this practice in better understanding and identifying the rate-limiting steps of biosynthetic pathways existing in HRs which in turn can contribute towards better productivity by utilizing metabolic engineering aspects.