Production of Tropane Alkaloids by Hairy Root Cultures of Scopolia japonica

Abstract

Hairy root clones of Scopolia japonica were established by selection of adventitious roots formed on the root segments inoculated with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain 15834. Twenty-nine isolated hairy root clones displayed various phenotypes characterized by growth rate, opine production and tropane alkaloid production. Of these, two highly alkaloid productive clones S1 and S22 were examined for their growth rate and alkaloid productivity under various cultural conditions. When the most scopolamine-productive clone S1mes and the content of scopolamine reached a level of 0.5% on a dry weight basis in each optimum medium. On culture of the most hyoscyamine-productive clone S22 under the same conditions as with S1, the weight was increased by 102 times and the content of hyoscyamine was 1.3% on a dry weight basis in each optimum medium. © 1986, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.