Quantitative determination of cultured strawberry-cell heterogeneity by image analysis: effects of medium modification on anthocyanin accumulation

Cultured plant cells are often highly heterogeneous in terms of secondary metabolite production. We have developed a quantitative determination method that uses an image processing system to estimate such individual cell characteristics as content of the secondary metabolite, anthocyanin. In this study, strawberry cells producing anthocyanins were grown in modified Linsmaier-Skoog medium. Anthocyanin accumulation profiles of individual cells depended on medium compositions and were quantitatively determined using the new method. The modified medium supplemented with riboflavin and high sugar concentration showed a markedly higher anthocyanin accumulation profile and pigmented cell ratio than the other modified media. The maximum content was about 11 mg (g-fresh cell weight)(-1) which was three times higher than that in the control medium. Moreover, the anthocyanin accumulation profiles in the individual cells cultured in all modified media could be approximated to the parts of the normal distribution curves with the constant variance. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.