Self-immobilized aggregate culture of Taxus cuspidata for improved taxol production

The suspension culture of self-immobilized aggregates of Taxus cuspidata, consisting of spherical, compact aggregates displaying some level of cellular/tissue differentiation was established. Total taxol yield of the self-immobilized aggregate culture was 4.9 mg/l, 5 times as much as that of the dispersed cell cultures. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

A population balance equation model of aggregation dynamics in Taxus suspension cell cultures

The nature of plant cells to grow as multicellular aggregates in suspension culture has profound effects on bioprocess performance. Recent advances in the measurement of plant cell aggregate size allow for routine process monitoring of this property. We have exploited this capability to develop a conceptual model to describe changes in the aggregate size distribution that are observed over the course of a Taxus cell suspension batch culture. We utilized the population balance equation framework to describe plant cell aggregates as a particulate system, accounting for the relevant phenomenological processes underlying aggregation, such as growth and breakage. We compared model predictions to experimental data to select appropriate kernel functions, and found that larger aggregates had a higher breakage rate, biomass was partitioned asymmetrically following a breakage event, and aggregates grew exponentially. Our model was then validated against several datasets with different initial aggregate size distributions and was able to quantitatively predict changes in total biomass and mean aggregate size, as well as actual size distributions. We proposed a breakage mechanism where a fraction of biomass was lost upon each breakage event, and demonstrated that even though smaller aggregates have been shown to produce more paclitaxel, an optimum breakage rate was predicted for maximum paclitaxel accumulation. We believe this is the first model to use a segregated, corpuscular approach to describe changes in the size distribution of plant cell aggregates, and represents an important first step in the design of rational strategies to control aggregation and optimize process performance.     

The kinetics of taxoid accumulation in cell suspension cultures of Taxus following elicitation with methyl jasmonate

Cell suspension cultures of Taxus canadensis and Taxus cuspidata rapidly produced paclitaxel (Taxol) and other taxoids in response to elicitation with methyl jasmonate. By optimizing the concentration of the elicitor, and the timing of elicitation, we have achieved the most rapid accumulation of paclitaxel in a plant cell culture, yet reported. The greatest accumulation of paclitaxel occurred when methyl jasmonate was added to cultures at a final concentration of 200 microM on day 7 of the culture cycle. The concentration of paclitaxel increased in the extracellular (cell-free) medium to 117 mg/day within 5 days following elicitation, equivalent to a rate of 23.4 mg/L per day. Paclitaxel was only one of many taxoids whose concentrations increased significantly in response to elicitation. Despite the rapid accumulation and high concentration of paclitaxel, its concentration never exceeded 20% of the total taxoids produced in the elicited culture. Two other taxoids, 13-acetyl-9-dihydrobaccatin III and baccatin VI, accounted for 39% to 62% of the total taxoids in elicited cultures. The accumulation of baccatin III did not parallel the pattern of accumulation for paclitaxel. Baccatin III continued to accumulate until the end of the culture cycle, at which point most of the cells in the culture were dead, implying a possible role as a degradation product of taxoid biosynthesis, rather than as a precursor.     

Cell cycle analysis of Taxus suspension cultures at the single cell level as an indicator of culture heterogeneity

Single cell growth and division was measured via flow cytometry in order to characterize the metabolic variability of Taxus cuspidata suspension cultures, which produce the valuable secondary metabolite Taxol. Good agreement was observed between the cell cycle distribution and biomass accumulation over the batch culture period. Specific growth rates of 0.13 days(-1) by fresh weight and 0.15 days(-1) by dry weight were measured. Elicitation with methyl jasmonate (MJ) significantly decreased both cell cycle progression and biomass accumulation, as the specific growth rate decreased to 0.027 days(-1) by fresh and dry weight. Despite the decrease in biomass accumulation for MJ elicited cultures, sucrose utilization was not significantly different from control cultures. MJ elicitation also increased the accumulation of paclitaxel and other taxanes. The accumulation of upstream taxanes (baccatin III and 10-deactylbaccatin III) increased during exponential growth, reached a maximum around day 12, and then declined throughout the stationary phase. The paclitaxel concentration increased during both exponential growth and stationary phase, reaching a maximum around days 20-25. Throughout the culture period, greater than 70% of the cells were in G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. Studies using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation showed that approximately 65% of the Taxus cells are noncycling, even during exponential growth. Although the role of these cells is currently unknown, the presence of a large, noncycling subpopulation can have a significant impact on the utilization of plant cell culture technology for the large-scale production of paclitaxel. These results demonstrate that there is a high degree of metabolic heterogeneity in Taxus cuspidata suspension cultures. Understanding this heterogeneity is important for the optimization of plant cell cultures, particularly the reduction of production variability.     

Taxus metabolomics: methyl jasmonate preferentially induces production of taxoids oxygenated at C-13 in Taxus x media cell cultures

Cells from suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata were extracted with pentane as a source of relatively non-polar taxoids. Of the 13 taxoids identified in this fraction, eight were oxygenated at C-14 and two had not been previously described. These taxoids, along with existing taxoid standards, were employed to profile the metabolites of Taxus x media cv. Hicksii cell suspension cultures induced with methyl jasmonate to produce paclitaxel (Taxol). The majority of the taxoid metabolites produced in these induced cultures were oxygenated at C-13, and not C-14.     

内生真菌培养液对东北红豆杉细胞生长及紫杉醇合成的影响

产紫杉醇的内生真菌（Fusarium mairei）先培养在B5液体培养基中,然后制备成内生真菌培养液。在东北红豆杉（Taxus cuspidata）细胞悬浮培养的不同阶段（5、10和15天）,用不同剂量的内生真菌培养液（2、4和6mL）分别进行处理。结果表明,在用4mL内生真菌培养液处理的植物细胞中可获得最高的紫杉醇产量（5.88mg·L^-1）与释放率（67%）,分别是对照的1.9倍与5.6倍。添加时间方面,在植物细胞培养周期的第5天添加4mL内生真菌培养液,可获得最佳效果,紫杉醇产量与释放率分别为6.1mg·L^-1与75%,分别是对照的2倍与6.8倍。与其它诱导子相比,4mL内生真菌培养液不仅可提高紫杉醇的释放率,而且不会引起东北红豆杉细胞膜的明显伤害,说明内生真菌发酵液激活了紫杉醇主动运输过程中的相关酶类。     

水杨酸作用下东北红豆杉细胞的二维凝胶电泳分析

东北红豆杉悬浮培养体系中加入适量浓度的水杨酸,染色结果表明,水杨酸可以增加细胞膜通透性,并可诱导部分细胞发生核凝集或核碎裂。提取细胞染色体DNA进行琼脂糖凝胶电泳,发现染色体DNA发生了部分降解。应用蛋白质双向凝胶电泳技术,研究了水杨酸处理后东北红豆杉细胞发生应激反应过程中蛋白质的表达情况,分析了处理细胞与正常细胞的蛋白质组差异,发现在水杨酸处理48h后的样品中有7个蛋白质差异点,而且有6个蛋白点仅在对照中检测到。结果表明,外加水杨酸改变了东北红豆杉细胞的基因表达,抑制部分蛋白合成的同时也合成了部分新蛋白质,这些蛋白可能与水杨酸的作用有关。     

条件培养液对红豆杉细胞Paclitaxel生产的促进作用

在两步法红豆杉（Taxus chinensis)细胞悬浮培养体系的生产阶段,加入从生长阶段悬浮培养物中制得的条件培养液（conditioned Medium,CM)既能促进细胞的生长,又能提高紫杉醇（paclitaxel)的产率,解决了生产培养时,细胞生长受抑制的问题,特别是,取自生长12天的细胞悬浮培养物的CM按体积分数为25％添加到新鲜生产培养基中时,可使细胞紫杉醇最高产量达28．5mg/L,细胞干重达32．3g/L,分别是对照的2．4倍和2．2倍,对CM中的蔗糖,果糖,NO3－和PO4－3等的含量的进行了分析。     

中国红豆杉悬浮培养细胞聚集体异质性的初步研究

通过梯度浓度的蔗糖溶液（0－1mol/L）的筛选,分拣出7种不同物理学密度的红豆杉细胞聚集体,并对它们进行了木质素含量及紫杉醇含量测定。结果显示：不同的细胞聚集体在物理学密度、木质素含量、紫杉醇含量、生长速度等方面存在着差异,其中密度最小的细胞聚集体木质素及紫杉醇含量分别是密度最大的细胞聚集体的5倍和8倍,并且在一定密度范围内（大于0.2mol／L蔗糖溶液密度）,细胞聚集体的木质素含量与紫杉醇的含量呈平行关系,表明不同聚集体紫杉醇含量一细胞分化有一定的关系,首次提出了红豆杉悬浮细胞聚集体培养中存在着异质现象,并对其可能机理及意义给予阐述。     

Improved paclitaxel production in a two-phase suspension culture ofTaxus cuspidata using silicone cubes

Two-phase cultures ofTaxus cuspidata were performed using silicone cubes as a second phase in shake flasks for paclitaxel production. Among various taxanes, paclitaxel was selectively adsorbed on the silicon cubes. When silicone cubes were added to suspension culture ofTaxus cuspidata, paclitaxel production increased about 45 folds. The maximum paclitaxel production was 3.95 mg/L when 10% of silicone cubes were added to the culture at the 7th day from inoculation.     

Interactions of Taxol-producing endophytic fungus with its host (Taxus spp.) during Taxol accumulation

Endophytic fungi (Fusarium mairei) culture broth (EFCB) was added to cell suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata. After 5 days, cultures of T. cuspidata given 4 ml of EFCB produced a maximal yield of 6.11 mg/l paclitaxel, with a release ratio of 75%, 2- and 6.8-fold, respectively, greater than the controls. The active element in EFCB is an exopolysaccharide of ∼79 kD. Endophytic fungi produced 0.19 mg/l of paclitaxel in its producing medium. However, when the supernatant of Taxus cell suspension cultures from day 20 was added to the paclitaxel-producing medium, the biomass of fungi decreased by 24% and the yield of paclitaxel by 45%. In a co-culture system of plant and fungus, the yield of paclitaxel (12.8 mg/l) was >2-fold higher than that in the EFCB-treatment system.     

Taxol (paclitaxel) production using free and immobilized cells of Taxus cuspidata

The production characteristics for Taxol (paclitaxel) using free and immobilized cells of Taxus cuspidata were investigated in a perfusion culture bioreactor. Although the cell growth was inhibited by higher dilution rates, the specific production rate of Taxol was increased by perfusion compared with that using batch operation. Perfusion cultures using a nylon-mesh cell separator for free suspension cells showed similar production profiles to those obtained using immobilized cells. Continuous Taxol production was successfully obtained at an approximate specific production rate of 0.3 mg/g DCW (dry cell weight) per day for up to 40 days. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation of single cells from aggregated Taxus suspension cultures for population analysis

A method for the isolation of single plant cells from Taxus suspension cultures has been developed for the analysis of single cells via rapid throughput techniques such as flow cytometry. Several cell wall specific enzymes, such as pectinase, pectolyase Y-23, macerozyme, Driselase(R), and cellulase were tested for efficacy in producing single cell suspensions. The method was optimized for single cell yield, viability, time, and representivity of aggregated cell cultures. The best combination for single cell isolation was found to be 0.5% (w/v) pectolyase Y-23 and 0.04% (w/v) cellulase. High viability (>95%) and high yields of single cell aggregates (>90%) were obtained following 4 hours of digestion for four separate Taxus cell lines. In addition, methyl jasmonate elicitation (200 microM) was found to have no effect on three of the four tested Taxus lines. Isolated single cells were statistically similar to untreated cell cultures for peroxidase activity (model cell wall protein) and paclitaxel content (secondary metabolite produced in Taxus cell cultures). In comparison, protoplasts showed marked changes in both peroxidase activity and paclitaxel content as compared to untreated cultures. The use of flow cytometry was demonstrated with isolated cells that were found to have > 99% viability upon staining with fluorescein diacetate. The development of a method for the isolation of single plant cells will allow the study of population dynamics and culture variability on a single cell level for the development of population models of plant cell cultures and secondary metabolism.     

Relationship of viability and apoptosis to taxol production in Taxus sp. suspension cultures elicited with methyl jasmonate

Taxus cuspidata P991 in plant cell suspension culture is capable of producing the important anticancer agent Taxol (paclitaxel) and related taxanes. High-level production is obtained by elicitation with methyl jasmonate, but successful elicitation leads to loss of cell viability that cannot be recovered by subculture. Here, we test whether the loss of viability is due to a direct effect of methyl jasmonate. Upon subculture, the reduced viability continued in methyl jasmonate elicited cultures, but not in nonelicited control cultures. The growth reduction in elicited T. cuspidata P991 suspension cultures was evaluated by viability reduction measurements using phenosafranin and fluorescein diacetate. The viability reduction does not appear to be related to apoptosis based on DNA laddering analysis because it occurred very late (at day 35) in the culture period. DNA laddering was also found only after day 28 in T. canadensis C93AD (a Taxol-producing cell line) elicited with methyl jasmonate, implying that apoptosis is not the major death mechanism after elicitation. As compared to Taxol-producing cell lines, the viability of a nonproducing cell line, T. canadensis CO93D, was not severely affected by methyl jasmonate, indicating that methyl jasmonate itself is not the primary factor for viability reduction. Based on Northern analysis of taxadiene synthase mRNA from both elicited and nonelicited T. cuspidata P991, methyl jasmonate directly induces the production of this enzyme, which is the first committed step in the biosynthetic pathway for Taxol. As a result, both viability reduction and growth reduction appear related to a high production level of Taxol (and related taxanes) upon methyl jasmonate elicitation, rather than to the direct effect of methyl jasmonate.     

Flow cytometric identification of Paclitaxel-accumulating subpopulations

An immunofluorescence procedure was developed for paclitaxel quantification at the single cell level via flow cytometry in Taxus cuspidata suspension cultures. Intracellular staining was validated via fluorescence microscopy. Paclitaxel content of isolated cells and protoplasts was compared to total paclitaxel levels measured via HPLC. Paclitaxel accumulation was significantly increased by elicitation with methyl jasmonate (100 microM) on day 7 post-transfer as compared to unelicited cultures. Maximum accumulation was observed by day 12 post-transfer in both total paclitaxel (approximately 0.25 mg/L) and the percentage of paclitaxel-accumulating cells (approximately 95%). A similar trend was observed with isolated protoplasts, although protoplasts accumulated only ca. 40-75% of the paclitaxel present in single cells. In unelicited cell cultures, a small subpopulation (ca. 3-5%) of single cells was shown to accumulate paclitaxel. Although nearly all cells were observed to accumulate paclitaxel in methyl jasmonate-elicited cell cultures, a high degree of cell-to-cell variation was observed in paclitaxel content. The identified subpopulations represent targets for cell sorting, which may be applied to develop higher-accumulating cell lines. The quantification of single cell paclitaxel content is useful for characterizing production variability in cell cultures and can be utilized to develop rational strategies to increase paclitaxel production.     

Effect of the plant peptide regulator, phytosulfokine-alpha, on the growth and Taxol production from Taxus sp. suspension cultures

Phytosulfokine-alpha (PSK-alpha) is a small plant peptide (5 amino acids) that displays characteristics typically associated with animal peptide hormones. PSK-alpha was originally isolated based on its mitogenic activity with plant cultures; it has been reported to increase production of tropane alkaloids from Atropa belladonna, although its general influence on secondary metabolite production is unknown. The studies reported in this article were initiated to evaluate the effects of PSK-alpha supplementation on production of Taxol (paclitaxel) from plant cell cultures of Taxus sp. particularly when methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is added as an elicitor of secondary metabolism. The response to PSK-alpha supplementation was cell line dependent. Taxus cuspidata P93AF showed no statistically significant response to PSK-alpha supplementation while Taxus canadensis C93AD and T. cuspidata PO93X displayed a concentration-dependent response (up to 100 nM PSK-alpha added in first 24 h of culture) with a decrease in initial growth rate, an increase in cell density (dry weight/fresh weight), and increased Taxol production. More remarkably with T. canadensis (C93AD), a very strong synergistic response of PSK-alpha (100 nM) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA, 100 microM) elicitation was observed, resulting in Taxol level of 35.3 +/- 2.1 mg/L or 1.83 +/- 0.02 mg Taxol/g dry cell weight achieved at day 21, a level of approximately 10-fold higher than for either treatment by itself. Although the level of Taxol production achieved is not remarkable, this synergistic treatment was able to partially revive taxane production in cultures that have lost productivity due to extended time (over 10 years) in continuous subculture.     

Aggregate cell suspension cultures of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. for triptolide, wilforgine, and wilforine production

The relationships between aggregate cell types, cell growth, and the triptolide, wilforgine, and wilforine content in aggregate cell suspension cultures of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. were examined. Aggregate cells larger than 2?mm grew quickly and constituted the majority of the white aggregates. The accumulation of triptolide was strongly correlated with the size of the aggregates and the length of the culture period. The aggregates 0.5?C2?mm in diameter accumulated higher triptolide content than those with other sizes throughout the culture. However, the size of the aggregate cells did not significantly affect on the wilforgine and wilforine content. Two other kinds of aggregate cells, the brown and green aggregate cells, also formed in the suspension cultures. The smallest aggregates (0.1?C0.5?mm) had a lower biomass and growth rate and had more chloroplasts and higher alkaloid content. The results of this study can be used to improve the selection process for the mass production of triptolide, wilforgine, and wilforine from cell suspension cultures.     

Aggregate Size Optimization in Microwells for Suspension-based Cardiac Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Cardiac differentiation of human pluripotent stems cells (hPSCs) is typically carried out in suspension cell aggregates. Conventional aggregate formation of hPSCs involves dissociating cell colonies into smaller clumps, with size control of the clumps crudely controlled by pipetting the cell suspension until the desired clump size is achieved. One of the main challenges of conventional aggregate-based cardiac differentiation of hPSCs is that culture heterogeneity and spatial disorganization lead to variable and inefficient cardiomyocyte yield. We and others have previously reported that human embryonic stem cell (hESC) aggregate size can be modulated to optimize cardiac induction efficiency. We have addressed this challenge by employing a scalable, microwell-based approach to control physical parameters of aggregate formation, specifically aggregate size and shape. The method we describe here consists of forced aggregation of defined hPSC numbers in microwells, and the subsequent culture of these aggregates in conditions that direct cardiac induction. This protocol can be readily scaled depending on the size and number of wells used. Using this method, we can consistently achieve culture outputs with cardiomyocyte frequencies greater than 70%.