INDUCTION OF FURANOCOUMARIN BIOSYNTHESIS IN GLEHNIA-LITTORALIS CELL-SUSPENSION CULTURES BY ELICITOR TREATMENT

Cell suspension cultures were established from Glehnia littoralis plan ts belonging to two different geographic strains. When the cells were treated with yeast extract, they started to produce and excrete furano coumarins into the culture medium; a major component, bergapten, and a minor one, xanthotoxin, were detected and identified by HPLC and GC/M S. Changes in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and furanocou marin production after elicitor treatment were traced, showing that PA L activity increased rapidly, reached a maximum after 24 h, and then d eclined to the normal level after 96 h which preceded the induced berg apten production. The induced-PAL activity of the cultured cells estab lished from an S-type plant which accumulated trace amounts of furanoc oumarins was about 50% of that in the cultured cells from an N-type pl ant that accumulated more than 0.1% furanocoumarins in the underground parts. However, the elicited production of bergapten was about six ti mes higher in the cell cultures from the S-type plant. Addition of the PAL inhibitor 2-aminoindan-2-phosphoric acid (AIP) at 10 mu M suppres sed the induction of PAL activity and furanocoumarin production. (C) 1 998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.