Spearmint plantlet culture system as a means to study secondary metabolism in vitro

Authors: Tisserat, Brent; Berhow, Mark; Vaughn, Steven

Submitted to: In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Plants
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/2007
Publication Date: 6/11/2007
Citation: Tisserat, B., Berhow, M.A., Vaughn, S.F. 2007. Spearmint plantlet culture system as a means to study secondary metabolism in vitro. In Vitro: Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant. 43:519-520.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The production of phytochemicals in vitro has been obtained from a variety of tissue types and organs. A plantlet culture system offers a means to study whole plant growth and development in a miniature scale and their corresponding phytochemical production. Plantlets resemble their in vivo counterparts both physically and chemically. A plantlet system that semi-isolates the shoot from the root offers a means to study exogenous media and atmospheric effects more critically. In such systems, the roots act indispensably in the transport of exogenous nutrients to the foliage. The foliage, in turn, is now free from any immediate contact with media and displays more “typical foliage behavior”. Such systems should be considered valuable aids in understanding the mechanisms of how to achieve higher secondary metabolism in vitro. Spearmint plantlets readily manifest terpenoids and phenolics in vitro. Although these compounds are produced from different pathways, they respond similarly to the same physical and nutritional treatments. Carbon, particularly, whether added atmospherically or through exogenous media additions, plays a significant role in secondary metabolic production. Plantlet culture may be considered an intermediate step between shoot cultures and seedlings germinated in soil. Information gained from these study systems can then be employed toward enhancing of secondary metabolism both in vitro and in vivo.