Tropane alkaloid production by Agrobacterium rhizogenes transformed hairy root cultures of Atropa baetica Willk. (Solanaceae)

Atropa baetica hairy root cultures were induced after infecting stem segmen ts with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC 15834. Accumulation of the tro pane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine by hairy roots cultured in half- an d full-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium was high, although this was ; not growth associated. These alkaloids were also released into both liqui d media. Higher tropane alkaloids present both in hairy roots and liquid me dium occurred in half MS medium, showing a clear relationship between slow growth of cultures and higher product accumulation. The pH of both nutrient media varied as culture progressed, and seemed to be associated with the r elease of scopolamine. GC-MS analyses showed the presence of a new compound . namely tigloylpseudotropine: moreover, 3 alpha-isobutyryloxytropane, form erly found only in plant leaf tissue, was also identified in the hairy root s.