XVI International Botanical Congess

The Papaver species are important subjects in the field of plant biotechnology for understanding, manipulating and utilizing plant secondary metabolism. Cell lines cultured in vitro, characterized by stable growth, were selected for our experiments. These were shown to produce only the benzophenanthridine alkaloid sanguinarine. To establish new cell lines, alteration of nutrient media and different concentrations and combinations of phytohormones were used. As a result of prolonged selection, several callus culture variants were generated. Two of them possess the ability to grow on nutrient medium lacking hormones. These cultures show organogenic differentiation: root formation, initiation of shoot buds and formation of numerous adventitious embryos. HPCA and TLC analyses revealed differences in alkaloid spectra between the strains studied. The pronounced synthesis of protopine, sanguinarine and morphinan alkaloids is demonstrated.