Paclitaxel production using co-culture of Taxus suspension cells and paclitaxel-producing endophytic fungi in a co-bioreactor

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009 May;83(2):233-9. doi: 10.1007/s00253-009-1856-4. Epub 2009 Jan 27.

Abstract

The co-culture of the suspension cells of Taxus chinensis var. mairei and its endophytic fungi, Fusarium mairei, in a 20-L co-bioreactor was successfully established for paclitaxel production. The co-bioreactor consists of two-unit tanks (10 L each) with a repairable separate membrane in the center, culturing Taxus suspension cells in one tank and growing fungi in another. By optimizing the co-culture conditions, there was a desirable yield of paclitaxel in Taxus cell cultures. The Taxus cell cultures by co-culture produced 25.63 mg/L of paclitaxel within 15 days; it was equivalent to a productivity of 1.71 mg/L per day and 38-fold higher than that by uncoupled culture (0.68 mg/L within 15 days). The optimum conditions for co-culture in the co-bioreactor were: B5 medium, inoculating fungi when Taxus cells had grown for 5 days in the co-bioreactor, hydrophilic separate membrane in the center of the co-bioreactor, and air flow rate of 1:0.85 v/v/m in fungus cultures.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / biosynthesis*
  • Bioreactors* / microbiology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Culture Media / metabolism
  • Culture Techniques / methods*
  • Fungi / growth & development
  • Fungi / metabolism*
  • Paclitaxel / biosynthesis*
  • Taxus / metabolism*
  • Taxus / microbiology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Culture Media
  • Paclitaxel