EFFECT OF NITROGEN AND SUCROSE ON THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY METABOLISM OF TRANSFORMED ROOT CULTURES OF HYOSCYAMUS-MUTICUS

The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on two well-established hair y root clones, LBA1S and C58A, of Hyoscyamus muticus strain Cairo, wer e investigated. Both clones exhibited completely different patterns wi th regards to their growth rate, hyoscyamine accumulation, and fatty a cid contents. Clone C58A grew faster and yielded more biomass (17.4 g 1(-1), in 21 days), but produced less hyoscyamine. The maximum hyoscya mine content (120 mg 1(-1)) in clone LBA1S was reached in 28 days. Nei ther of the clones could use lactose or fructose as the sole carbon so urce, nor ammonium as the sole nitrogen source. The growth in the medi um containing glucose was significantly reduced compared to that conta ining sucrose. Clone LBA1S was sensitive to the changes in sucrose con centration and an increase in ammonium in the culture medium, whereas C58A tolerated these changes better but was more sensitive to the incr ease in total nitrogen. Lipid synthesis was active in the exponential growth phase, and the total fatty acid content varied from 5 to 34 mg g(-1) of dry root material. The major fatty acids were linoleic, palmi tic and linolenic. There were considerable differences in the total am ount of lipids and in their relative ratios when different nutrients w ere applied.