Callus Cultures of Tomato Mutants II. Carotenoid Formation.

Carotenoid synthesis in the fruit of tomato mutants is under gene control. Since undifferentiated plant cells are presumably totipotent, the callus tissue should be able to produce the carotenoids typical of the genotype. The carotenoids of masses of callus derived from hypocotyls of the red ghost and tangerine tomatoes were extracted and characterized by means of column and thin layer chromatography, chemical and spectral properties. The red ghost callus contained predominntly phytoene and phytofluene; the tangerine callus had primarily ζ-carotene and prolycopene. Thus under our cultural conditions, carotenoids typical of the fruit rather than the leaf were produced, albeit in much reduced quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]