Cell suspension cultures of higher plants: Isolation and growth energetics

Abstract

Summary 1. Sycamore cell suspension cultures exemplify the methods for treating higher plants as microorganisms. 2. Cell suspension cultures are defined as pipettable liquid cultures. 3. Of 12 tissue cultured species tried in liquid culture, six gave varying useful amounts of pipettable suspensions together with non-pipettable cell clumps. 4. The pipettability of sycamore cell suspensions varied with the batch and amount of coconut water, and the 2,4- D concentration used in the medium. 5. A high rate of growth and the absence of cross-wall stabilisation by secondary thickening are the most important desiderata for the production of cell suspension cultures of higher plants. 6. A simple device is described for sampling the same suspension culture aseptically many times during its growth. 7. Growth curves of sycamore cell suspension cultures show an optimal mean generation time of 2 days during an exponential growth phase of 7–8 days. 8. During the exponential growth phase sycamore cell suspensions had a QO2=5; RQ=1; synthetic efficiency =2; and YATP=9.2. 9. Final yields of sycamore cell suspensions were as high as 17 mg/ml dry weight. 10. Daughter protoplasts of cells in suspension culture form complete daughter cell walls inside the original mother cell wall.