Enhancement of Taxane Production by the Combination of in situ Extraction with Lauryl Alcohol and Elicitation by Methyl Jasmonate in a Suspension Callus Culture

Abstract

We report here on taxane production by a combination of in situ extraction with lauryl alcohol (LA) and elicitation by methyl jasmonate (MJ) in a suspension callus of Taxus cuspidata. LA is an effective organic solvent for the in situ extraction of paclitaxel which gives a decrease in the paclitaxel concentration in the medium thus reducing its feed-back inhibition against callus growth. Improved callus growth and increased production amounts of the taxanes were observed in the two phase systems including MJ, compared with the control culture where LA and MJ were not added. In particular significant amounts of 10-deacetyl baccatin III and baccatin III, which are precursors of paclitaxel, were produced, indicating that the rate-limiting steps in the production of paclitaxel might be the enzymatic activities of converting baccatin III to paclitaxel and/or the genes expression of the related enzymes.