Cell lines of Taxus species as source of the anticancer drug taxol.

Callus culture of Taxus baccata and Taxus x Media were induced using explants of young stems and female gametophyte. Culture conditions have been established for the cell suspension of the different callus cell lines. Callus were induced from Taxus baccata and Taxus x Media using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of 2,4 D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic) and benzylaminopurine (BA). All the cultures grew slowly following the first subculture and the majority turned brown and ceased growth. The fast growing callus lines constituted a habituated callus lines (CFGTB; CFGTM; CSTB and CSTB). These callus lines were used to induce cell suspension in the best nutritional medium (1 mg/l 2,4-D and 0.1 mg/l BA). The callus exhibited levels of taxol ranging from 0.1 to 15 mg/Kg on a dry weight basis. Suspension cultures of Taxus baccata (CSTB and CFGTB) and Taxus x Media (CSTM and CFGTM) were maintained at 25 degrees C on a MS medium with two weeks transfers. The maximum taxol production for suspension cell was within the range 5 to 6 mg/l.