Overexpression of L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase in tobacco cell suspension cultures

Abstract

Cell suspension cultures were generated from transgenic tobacco plants expressing bean phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) or alfalfa cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) transgenes, PAL over-expressing cell lines exhibited high basal levels of PAL transcripts and enzymatic activity, but hardly exceeded wild-type cultures in the level of PAL activity obtained following elicitation. In contrast, expression of alfalfa C4H transcripts in unelicited cell suspension cultures did not result in a corresponding increase in C4H enzymatic activity, However, following elicitation, the level of C4H activity in over-expressing lines was significantly greater than in control lines.