Dynamics of changes in the genome of callus tissues of Rauwolfia serpentina upon a switch to conditions of submerged cultivation

It is established that switching from surface to submerged cultivation in a liquid medium of a special composition does not induce noticeable changes in the callus tissues of Rauwolfia serpentina in the course of the first several passages. Polymorphism of the RAPD spectra is discovered following 4–6 growth passages of tissues in the submerged culture; this polymorphism may reflect both changes in the DNA sequence and in the genetic structure of the cell population forming the strain. Addition of an intermediate passage in a solid medium of simpler composition prior to a switch to the liquid medium does not exert a substantial influence on the level and nature of the changes in the genome.