TOPICAL PAPER: Utilization of Hairy Root Cultures for Production of Secondary Metabolites

Abstract

Abstract The possibility of producing useful chemicals by plant cell cultures has been studied intensively for the past 30 years. However, problems associated with low product yields and culture instabilities have restricted wider industrial application of plant cell culture. The employment of hairy root culture technology, developed in the past 10 years, offers new opportunities for in vitro production of plant secondary metabolites. In contrast to cell suspension cultures, hairy root cultures are characterized by high biosynthetic capacity and genetic as well as biochemical stability. In this review, the establishment and cultivation of hairy root cultures as well as their properties and application for production of secondary metabolites are discussed.