Manipulation by culture mixing and elicitation of paclitaxel and baccatin III production in Taxus baccata suspension cultures

Experiments were carried out with Taxus baccata cell lines showing different paclitaxel-producing capacities (between 1.74 and 19.91 mg l(-1)) when growing in a selected product-formation medium that specifically stimulated the production of taxane to the detriment of cell growth. Through mixing low-, medial- and high-producing lines, it could be observed that paclitaxel productivity in the resulting mixed lines was clearly higher than the mean productivity of the individual lines before mixing. This suggests that culture components generated by high-producing individual lines within the population might induce paclitaxel production. Although the accumulation of paclitaxel and baccatin III was higher when 100 mu M methyl jasmonate was added to the subcultures of the mixed lines, the results indicate that exogenously applied methyl jasmonate was not the first factor to stimulate taxane production. The possible effects of methyl jasmonate elicitation and paclitaxel accumulation on cell viability are also considered.