Variability in tissue cultures of Choisya ternata. III comparing alkaloid production in cell lines obtained by various strategies.

Callus cultures of Choisya ternata have been prepared by different strategies: aggregate clones, subclones and protoclones obtained from well-established strains; protoclones obtained from mesophyll tissue; cultures transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. All of them show high variability in their dihydrofuroquinoline alkaloid production. As compared to the alkaloid content of the whole plant, one alkaloid (platydesminium) could be obtained in higher amounts in some lines, but it was impossible to get high-balfourodinium accumulating lines. Moreover balfourodinium-producing capacities were lower in transformed cells as compared to those of normal cell lines.