Natural products from plant cell cultures.
Plants produce complex small molecules - natural products - that exhibit anticancer, antimalarial and antimicrobial activity. These molecules play a key role in human medicine. However, plants typically produce these compounds in low quantities, and harvesting plant natural products is frequently expensive, time-consuming and environmentally damaging. Plant cell culture provides a renewable, easily scalable source of plant material. In this chapter we discuss the successes and pitfalls associated with natural product production in plant cell cultures.
McCoy
Elizabeth
E
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
O'Connor
Sarah E
SE
D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D015394:Molecular Structure; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D059828:Plant Cells; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D001688:Biological Products; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations