Differential production of tropane alkaloids in hairy roots and in vitro cultured two accessions of Atropa belladonna L. under nitrate treatments

Abstract

Plants are a potential source of a large number of valuable secondary metabolites. In vitro ultures are being considered as an alternative to agricultural processes for studying valuable econdary metabolites. In this way, nutritive factors are important parameters influencing he production of these compounds in plants. Effects of nitrate concentrations (KNO3) n the production of two tropane alkaloids, hyoscyamine and scopolamine, and the growth f aerial parts and roots of two in vitro propagated accessions of Atropa belladonna and airy roots were investigated. As hairy roots cultures are able to keep a stable production f alkaloids over long periods of subculturing, they are considered as an interesting option or the study of alkaloid biosynthesis. A hairy roots culture of Atropa belladonna was established y transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain AR15834. The results of our tudy showed that a rise in KNO3 concentration caused a decline in hairy roots growth, and ad a remarkable effect on the alkaloid content. The alkaloid concentrations obtained in the airy roots were 3-20 times higher than that in the plants at 35 mM of KNO3. Increasing the itrate concentration in the medium of hairy roots also improved the hyoscyamine/scopolamine atio, while it increased the scopolamine/hyoscyamine ratio in the studied plants. © 2010 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, Tübingen.