Abstract: | Treatment of plants with jasmonates often shows that jasmonates seem to have a high potential in increasing level of biologically active compounds in plants. In this study, methyl jasmonate (MJ) was employed to manipulate levels of terpenes in intact trees and cell cultures of Norway spruce. Application of MJ caused a two to three-fold increase in mono-, sesqui-, and diterpenes in Picea abies sapwood, within a month following treatment. Although previous research have not shown terpenes in undifferentiated cell cultures, we found that P. abies cell suspension cultures constitutively biosynthesized small amounts of various monoterpene hydrocarbons de novo with a product profile similar to that of adult trees. Moreover, following application of MJ or a fungal elicitor, there was a three-fold increase in monoterpene accumulation. These results confirm that the cell suspension cultures might be a useful system in producing high-value secondary metabolites in P. abies. |