title: Plant natural products: history, limitations and the potential of cambial meristematic cells.
abstract: Humans have utilised plant derived natural products as medicines for millenia. Moreover, many contemporary pharmaceuticals are also natural products or derivatives thereof. However, the full potential of these compounds remains to be exploited because often they are: complex and difficult to synthesise; found in low quantities; produced by undomesticated and sometimes rare plants; and, their synthesis is routinely influenced by weather conditions. Potentially, the in vitro culture of cells from the corresponding plant species could circumvent some of these problems but the growth of plant cells on an industrial scale is also problematic. The recent isolation and culture of cambial meristematic cells (CMCs), stem cells which ordinarily generate the plant vasculature, may now provide a key platform technology to help realise the full potential of plant natural products.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK.
authors.forename: Ung-Wook
authors.initials: UW
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Zejun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amir
authors.forename: Sunmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Young-Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Eun-Kyong
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Loake
mesh_terms: D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history / Q000378:metabolism*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D058506:Cambium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000096:biosynthesis; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D020946:Taxus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D004224:Diterpenes; D017239:Paclitaxel