Research review paperTransgenic hairy roots: recent trends and applications
Introduction
Plants remain a major source of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. Despite considerable efforts, only a few commercial processes have been achieved using cell cultures (e.g. shikonin, berberine). The major constraint with cell cultures is that they are genetically unstable and cultured cells tend to produce low yields of secondary metabolites. A new route for enhancing secondary metabolite production is by transformation using the natural vector system Agrobacterium rhizogenes, the causative agent of hairy root disease in plants. Genetically transformed hairy roots obtained by infection of plants with A. rhizogenes, a gram-negative soil bacterium, offers a promising system for secondary metabolite production [1]. The fast growing hairy roots are unique in their genetic and biosynthetic stability and their fast growth offers an additional advantage. These fast growing hairy roots can be used as a continuous source for the production of valuable secondary metabolites. Moreover, transformed roots are able to regenerate whole viable plants and maintain their genetic stability during further subculturing and plant regeneration.
Section snippets
Agrobacterium and Ri T-DNA genes
Agrobacterium recognizes some signal molecules exuded by susceptible wounded plant cells and becomes attached to it (chemotactic response). Infection of plants with A. rhizogenes causes development of hairy roots at the site of infection. The rhizogenic strains contain a single copy of a large Ri plasmid. In the Agropine Ri plasmid T-DNA is referred to as left T-DNA (TL-DNA) and right T-DNA (TR-DNA). TR T-DNA contains genes homologous to Ti plasmid tumor inducing genes. Genes involved in
Plant regeneration
Transformed roots are able to regenerate whole viable plants; hairy roots as well as the plants regenerated from hairy roots are genetically stable. However, in some instances transgenic plants have shown an altered phenotype compared to controls. Plants regenerated from Ri transformed roots display ‘hairy root syndrome,’ combined expression of the rolABC loci of the Ri plasmid is responsible for this expression. Each locus is responsible for a typical phenotypic alteration; that is, rolA is
Acknowledgements
The financial support to A.G. by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Govt. of India is duly acknowledged. The authors thank Dr C.C. Giri, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, for his critical suggestions during the preparation of the manuscript.
References (184)
- et al.
Alkaloid synthesis by root cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina transformed by Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
Phytochemistry
(1994) - et al.
Effects of chemicals on alkaloid production by transformed roots of Belladonna
Phytochemistry
(1998) - et al.
Intergeneric co-culture of genetically transformed organs for the production of scopolamine
Phytochemistry
(1998) - et al.
Influence of light and phytohormones on alkaloid production in transformed root cultures of Hyoscyamus albus.
J Plant Physiol
(1992) - et al.
The role of liquid mixing and gas-phase dispersion in a submerged, sparged root reactor
Enzyme Microbiol Tech
(1997) - et al.
Growth and thiophene production by hairy root cultures of Tagetus patula in various two liquid phase bioreactors
Enzyme Microbiol Technol
(1991) Novel bioreactors for the growth of roots transformed by Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
Enzyme Microbiol Technol
(1992)- et al.
Effect of sucrose, exogenous product concentration and other culture conditions on growth and steroidal alkaloid production by Solanum aviculare hairy roots
Enzyme Microbiol Technol
(1996) - et al.
Effects of the introduction of Agrobacterium rhizogenes rol genes on tomato plant and flower development
Plant Science
(1992) - et al.
Transfer and function of T-DNA genes from Agrobacterium Ti and Ri plasmids in plants
Cell
(1989)
Production of tropane alkaloids in genetically engineered root cultures
Phytochemistry
Transformation of Brassica napus L. (oilseed rape) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenesA comparison
Plant Sci
Production of plantlets for use as artificial seeds from horseradish hairy roots fragmented in a blender
J Ferment Bioeng
Efficient regeneration from a GUS transformed ajuga hairy roots
J Ferment Bioeng
Production of peroxidase with horseradish hairy root cells in a two step culture system
J Ferment Bioeng
Cryopreservation of transformed (hairy) roots of Artemisia annua.
Cryobiology
Production and release of pigments by cultures of transformed hairy roots of red beet
J Ferment Bioeng
Use of genetic transformation by the Ri T-DNA of Agrobacterium rhizogenes to stimulate biomass and tropane alkaloid production in Atropa belladonna and Calystegia sepium roots grown in vitro
Plant Sci
Polyacetylenes in hairy root cultures of Campanula medium L
J Plant Physiol
New routes to plant secondary products
Bio/Technol
Agrobacterium rhizogenes inserts T-DNA into the genome of the host plant root cells
Nature
Development regulation of Ri T DNA gene expression in roots, shoots and tubers of transformed potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Desiree)
Plant Mol Biol
Hairy roots are more sensitive to auxin than normal roots
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
Identification of signal molecules produced by wounded plant cells that activate T-DNA transfer in Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
Nature
Diterpenoid production in hairy root cultures of Salvia miltiorrhiza.
Phytochemistry
Transformation by Agrobacterium rhizogenes and regeneration of transgenic shoots of the wild soybean Glycine argyrea.
Plant Cell Reports
Production of hairy roots in Aconitum heterophyllum wall. Using Agrobacterium rhizogenes
In Vitro Cell Dev Biol-Plant
Establishment of hairy root cultures of Psoralea species
Plant Cell Reports
Organic growth factor requirements of tobacco tissue cultures
Physiol Plant
A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures
Physiol Plant
Plant tissue culture media
In Vitro
Secondary product formation by cultures of Beta vulgaris and Nicotiana rustica transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
Plant Cell Reports
Production of tropane alkaloids by hairy-root cultures of Scopolia japonica.
Agric Biol Chem
The biosynthetic potential of plant roots
Bio-Essays
Secondary metabolites in Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated transformed root cultures
Characterization of transgenic plants derived from hairy roots of Hyoscyamus muticus.
Plant Cell Reports
Hairy roots of Datura candida X D. aureaEffect of culture medium composition on growth and alkaloid biosynthesis
Plant Cell Reports
Influence of exogenous hormone on the growth and secondary metabolite formation in transformed root cultures
Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture
Taxol production in bioreactorsKinetics of biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake and taxol production by cell suspension of Taxus baccata
Biotechnol Bioeng
Inducer effect of Tween 20 permeabelization treatment used for release of stored alkaloids in Datura innoxia Mill. Hairy root cultures
Plant Cell Reports
Shikonin production and secretion by hairy root cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon
Plant Cell Reports
Co-culture of genetically transformed roots and shoots for synthesis, translocation and biotransformation of secondary metabolites
Biotech Bioeng
Transgenic herbicide-resistant Atropa belladonna using an Ri plasmid vector and inheritance of the transgenic trait
Plant Cell Reports
Functional analysis of the Rubisco large subunit AN-methyltransferase promoter from tobacco and its regulation by light in soybean hairy roots
Plant Cell Reports
Kinetic and stoichiometric analysis of hairy roots in a segmented bubble column reactor
Biotechnol Prog
Growth characteristics of plant hairy roots and their cultures in bioreactors
J Chem Eng Japan
Growth and hyoscyamine production of “hairy root” cultures of Datura stramonium in a modified stirred tank reactor
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol
Comparison of growth properties of carrot hairy root in various bioreactors
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol
Growth of transformed roots in a nutrient mist bioreactorReactor performance and evaluation
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol
Saponin production by cultures of Panax ginseng transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
Plant Cell Reports
Cited by (471)
Production of species-specific anthocyanins through an inducible system in plant hairy roots
2024, Metabolic EngineeringIn vitro mass production, chemical modification, and cytotoxicity of shikonin derivatives on breast cancer cells
2023, Industrial Crops and ProductsImproved biomass and metabolite production in hairy root culture in various genotypes of Panax ginseng through genetic transformation
2024, Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture