The following points highlight the top five utility of suspension culture. The utilities are: 1. Source of Secondary Metabolites 2. Biotransformation 3. Source of Somatic Embryos and Cell Line 4. Source of Protein 5. Mutant Production and its Use.
Utility # 1. Source of Secondary Metabolites:
Cell suspension cultures have been shown to produce a number of valuable secondary metabolites, which includes alkaloids, glycosides (steroides and phenolics), terpenoids, variety of volatile oils, pharmaceutical products, etc.
Many useful secondary metabolites could be produced under controlled condition of consistent product quality by the use of particular cell line. Temperature, photoperiod as well as nutrition and changes in the level of hormones may modify or induce or repress the biosynthetic activities of cultured cell. With the help of controlled metabolic processes the improvement in yield can be done with less labour and costs.
Utility # 2. Biotransformation:
This involves the ability of plant cell cultures to catalyse the biotransformation of a readily available or inexpensive precursor into a more valuable final product.
The conversion of a small part of molecule into industrially important chemicals by means of biological systems is termed as biotransformation. The use of plant cell culture in this process requires the selection of cell lines which have the capabilities of enzymatic activity for specific reaction of interest.
Utility # 3. Source of Somatic Embryos and Cell Line:
Embryonic cell suspension culture offers the possibility for large scale clonal propagation. Somatic embryos from suspension cultures can be useful for long term storage in germplasm banks.
This embryogenic culture serves as an important tool for selection of cell line under different biotic and abiotic stress. Selection of specific cell lines producing high amounts of a useful metabolite can be done in suspension culture either through single cell clone or by cell aggregate cloning.
Utility # 4. Source of Protein:
Apart from secondary metabolites, plant cell cultures have proved to be a source of a variety of proteins which in future may become of economic importance as well as enzymes, peptides. Plant cell cultures have infinite possibilities for producing useful natural substances in industry.
Utility # 5. Mutant Production and its Use:
Cell suspension cultures are of great use for mutagenesis studies. The mutagens can be added to the medium and the mutagenic cell lines can be obtained which may be further used for raising of mutant plants or new mutant cell lines.
These cell lines may have the ability to produce new or novel products of secondary metabolites, or the increased enzymatic activities for the biosynthesis of a particular product, or a defect in enzymes located at a branching point of a metabolic pathway resulting in increased product formation. Another culture derived haploid cell line can also be used successfully to derive mutant cell line.