Study on Production of Useful Chemicals using Immobilized Plant Cells

• Project/Area Number: 63470102
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: 化学工学
• Research Institution: University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: FURUSAKI Shintaro Univ.of Tokyo, Dept.Chem.Eng., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (40011209)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SEKI Minoru Univ.of Tokyo, Dept.Chem.Eng., Res.Associate, 工学部, 助手 (80206622)
• Project Period (FY): 1988 – 1989
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 1989)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,600,000); Fiscal Year 1989: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000); Fiscal Year 1988: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,900,000)
• Keywords: Plant Cells / Immobilization / Coffee / Caffeine / Safflower / Vitamin E / Light Irradiation / Bioreactor / コーヒー / トコフェロールビタミンE / アルギン酸

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study, is to investigate the effect of the use of immobilization techniques on the production system of useful chemicals using plant cells. We chose the caffeine production using coffee plant cells as a model production system in which the product is easily, released from plant cells, the production of vitamin E using safflower cells as a example of the system whose product is not released. Several findings resulting from our investigation were obtained as described below:
1. Production of caffeine using coffee plant cells (1) The effect of oxygen transfer on the overall caffeine production rate using coffee plant cells immobilized by polyurethane foam. (2) The conditions of medium and light irradiation which increase the caffeine productivity. (3) The dependence of light-irradiation intensity and caffeine concentration on the cell growth and caffeine production. (4) The continuous production of caffeine over 50 days and the effect of light-irradiation conditions on the productivity.
These findings make it clear that some useful chemicals would be produced continuously using a photo-bioreactor containing plant cells.
2. Production of citamin E using safflower cells (1) The increase of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) productivity by the addition of a precursor(phytol) and its optimum dose. (2) The relation between conditions of immobilization and activity of the cells. The decrease of productivity in the case that the larger aggregates of the cells were immobilized. The increase of the ratio of alpha-and gamma-tocopherol to the total tocopherol by immobilization. (3) The enhanced production of alpha-tocopherol under the conditions of restriction of nitrogen source, Mf-deficient medium, growth hormone free and light irradiation. these effects were weakened by immobilization. (4) The role of agar as a elicitor substance. (5) The relation between activity of plant cells and pH, sucrose concentration, electroconductivity. (6) The probability of the product release from the plant cells by means of permeabilization with Triton X-100 and DMSO.
Further investigations about regulation of differentiation of plant cells and construction of a product-releasable cell are expected.

Research Products

• [Publications] H.KURATA,M.SEKI,S.FURUSAKI and T.FURUYA: "Effect of light on caffeine production by plant cells of Coffea arabica" Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences(印刷中). (1990)
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
• [Publications] Kurata, H., M.Seki, S.Furusaki and T.Furuya: "Effect of light on caffeine production by plant cells of Coffee arabica" Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, (1990).
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
• [Publications] H.KURATA,M.SEKI,S.FURUSAKI and T.FURUYA: "Effect of light on caffeine production by plant cells of Coffea arabica" Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. (1990)