The effect of abiotic elicitors on the gene expression of some alkaloids Papaver bracteatum

Papaverace family includes valuable alkaloids with commercial importance and Papaver bracteatum belongs to this family. Elicitors are useful tool to enhance the production of secondary metabolites and benzophenanthridine in the poppy plants. In this study, two different elicitors, Salicylic acid and Methyl jasmonate were evaluated on the root’s explants, in order to increase the production of alkaloids in Persian poppy. Time had a great effect on the treatment of both elicitors. Overall, treatment with Methyl jasmonate has increased the amount of morphine alkaloid more than salicylic acid in cell culture. Moreover, the highest concentration of morphine was obtained by increasing the expression of TYDC and COR genes under both elicitor treatments. Having codeine and morphine in the cell culture may be attributed to the expression of TYDC as specific gene in the root. The results of this study showed that the use of biotic elicitors can motivate biosynthetic cycle of the production and accumulation of morphine alkaloid as secondary metabolite in the plant and high levels of this alkaloid can be obtained comparing to control plants.