Abstract :
Keywords: Agrobacterium rhizogenes; Curcuma longa; Curcuminoids; Elicitation; Hairy roots; Methyl jasmonate Abstract The Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of plants for hairy root induction epitomizes an attractive biotechnological strategy for enhancing the production of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. The Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) belonging to Zingiberaceae family is a prevalent crop grown in India and other Southeast Asian countries. The three curcuminoids, viz. curcumin (CUR), demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), are the key bioactive components attributing to its pharmacological activity. The Curcuma longa hairy root lines were established from shoot base explants of in vitro grown plants using the A. rhizogenes strains A.sub.4, [A.sub.4]T, and 8196. The acetosyringone augmentation in bacterial culture and co-cultivation media proved to be advantageous for effective induction of hairy roots. The hairy root lines induced with A.sub.4 strain displayed maximum biomass growth after 25 days of inoculation, followed by 8196 and [A.sub.4]T. The transgenic nature of hairy roots was validated by the presence of rol A and mas1 gene. The maximum curcuminoid production was observed with hairy roots induced with A.sub.4 strain. The influence of methyl jasmonate (MJ) elicitor treatment was evaluated on growth and curcuminoid production using A.sub.4-induced hairy root lines. The MJ had very little influence on growth of hairy roots however, higher concentrations of MJ (200 µM) evoked a significant response after 48 h for enhancing the production of all the three curcuminoids. The CUR content was 2.5-fold DMC twofold and BDMC 1.96-fold higher than unelicited hairy roots. Our results establish that the hairy roots of C. longa could be a stable potential source for pharmaceutically useful curcuminoids as an alternative to field-grown plants. Author Affiliation: (1) Centre for Biotechnology, Institute of Science and Technology, JNTUH, Kukatpally, 85, Hyderabad, Telangana, India (b) archanagiriin@jntuh.ac.in Article History: Registration Date: 09/06/2022 Received Date: 05/24/2022 Accepted Date: 09/04/2022 Online Date: 09/20/2022 Byline: