Cultured cambial meristematic cells as a source of plant natural products

The culture of dedifferentiated plant cells to produce commercially important chemicals has met with limited success. Lee et al . demonstrate the potential of innately undifferentiated cells from Taxus cuspidata as an industrial source of the anticancer drug paclitaxel. A plethora of important, chemically diverse natural products are derived from plants 1 . In principle, plant cell culture offers an attractive option for producing many of these compounds 2 , 3 . However, it is often not commercially viable because of difficulties associated with culturing dedifferentiated plant cells (DDCs) on an industrial scale 3 . To bypass the dedifferentiation step, we isolated and cultured innately undifferentiated cambial meristematic cells (CMCs). Using a combination of deep sequencing technologies, we identified marker genes and transcriptional programs consistent with a stem cell identity. This notion was further supported by the morphology of CMCs, their hypersensitivity to γ-irradiation and radiomimetic drugs and their ability to differentiate at high frequency. Suspension culture of CMCs derived from Taxus cuspidata , the source of the key anticancer drug, paclitaxel (Taxol) 2 , 3 , circumvented obstacles routinely associated with the commercial growth of DDCs. These cells may provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly platform for sustainable production of a variety of important plant natural products.