Effects of sodium orthovanadate on benzophenanthridine alkaloid formation and distribution in cell suspension cultures of Eschscholtzia californica

Cell suspension cultures of Eschscholtzia californica produce relatively large amounts of benzophenanthridine alkaloids upon elicitation. Sodium orthovanadate is used as an abiotic elicitor to induce alkaloid biosynthesis in cultures of E. californica. The response of the cell culture to this abiotic elicitor is very similar to that observed after elicitation with a biotic elicitor (a carbohydrate fraction from yeast extract). Treatment with orthovanadate leads to alkalinization of the growth medium, a 20-fold induction of the key enzyme tyrosine decarboxylase and increased alkaloid formation (up to 40 mg.L–1). Cells treated with the yeast elicitor excrete a large portion of alkaloids produced into the growth medium (up to 50 % of total alkaloids) while cells treated with orthovanadate release very small amounts of alkaloids into the medium (less than 10 % of total alkaloids). These results suggest that an active transport system, possibly specific for benzophenanthridine alkaloids, is present in the plasma membrane of E. californica cells. The nature of this putative vanadate-sensitive transporter is not known at present.