Isolation of an auxotrophic cell line of soybean (Glycine max) which requires asparagine or glutamine for growth

A suspension culture of haploid soybean cells was treated with ultra-violet light. From the mutagenized culture an auxotrophic cell line was isolated which grows on 1-B5 media supplemented with asparagine or glutamine. In the absence of these additives the cells cease to grow and die. Asparagine is unable to serve as a sole source of nitrogen, i.e., cannot substitute for nitrate and ammonia.