The present invention relates to a method of producing sesquiterpene lactones of the thapsigargin family, the method comprising the steps of: (a) culturing plant cells of the genus Thapsia in a nutrient medium in a suspension cell culture, wherein the cells produce one or more sesquiterpene lactones of the thapsigargin family; and (b) recovering one or more sesquiterpene lactones of the thapsigargin family produced in (a). The present invention further relates to a suspension cell culture comprising plant cells of the genus Thapsia, wherein the plant cells are capable of producing one or more sesquiterpene lactones of the thapsigargin family and to a plant cell biomass comprising plant cells of the genus Thapsia obtained from said suspension cell culture.

A method of producing a microbial fermentation broth includes fermenting at least two of plum, dandelion, pine needle, and thistle to prepare each fermentation stock solution, mixing the fermentation stock solutions and fermenting the mixed fermentation stock solutions a to prepare a fermentation mixture, mixing the fermentation mixture with coffee meal and fermenting the mixed fermentation mixture with the coffee meal to prepare a coffee meal fermented solution, and aging the coffee meal fermented solution.

A composite shell particle including a composite shell layer is provided. The composite shell layer is a hollow shell, wherein the composite shell layer includes a porous biological layer and a metallic layer. The porous biological layer is composed of an organic substance including a cell wall or a cell membrane of a bacteria or algae. The metallic layer is crosslinked with the porous biological layer to form the composite shell layer. The metallic layer includes at least one metal selected from the group consisting of iron, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, zirconium, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, and calcium, and/or includes at least one selected form the group consisting of metal chelates, metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal chlorides, metal selenides, metal acid salt compounds, and metal carbonate compounds. A method of manufacturing the composite shell particle, and a biological material including the composite shell particle and the applications thereof are also provided.

An algae cultivation medium includes a growth medium and at least one of an amine additive and a water-soluble biomimetic catalyst. A related method of increasing carbon shuttling in an algae cultivation medium includes adding at least one of the amine additive and the water-soluble biomimetic catalyst to the algae cultivation medium.

There are provided compositions and methods for transforming plants, preferably monocot, and even more preferably, sugarcane. The transformation methods involve infection of plant tissue with Agrobacterium, and co-cultivation using culture medium comprising high concentrations of gelling agent, with the result of inhibiting the exacerbated growth of the bacteria and increasing the transformation frequencies. The invention includes regenerating transformed plants, and the transformed plants themselves.

This invention relates to an agent for inducing a callus comprising a compound represented by Formula (I) or a hydrolysis product of an amide bond thereof:

##STR00001##

wherein Ar.sup.1 represents phenyl substituted with substituent or substituents selected from alkoxy and methylenedioxy; Ar.sup.2 represents phenyl substituted with halogen; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represent hydrogen, alkyl, cyano, or carboxyl; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may together form oxo; R.sup.3 to R.sup.10 each represent hydrogen or methyl; and R.sup.3 and R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6, R.sup.7 and R.sup.8, and/or R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 may together form oxo; a method for inducing a callus and a method for plant transformation using such agent for inducing a callus.

The present invention relates to excision of explant material comprising meristematic tissue from cotton seeds. Methods for tissue preparation, storage, transformation, and selection or identification of transformed plants are disclosed, as are transformable meristem tissues and plants produced by such methods, and apparati for tissue preparation.

The present disclosure provides the use of a phosphatidylcholine compound as a component of a media composition. The resulting media composition can be used for the cryopreservation of eukaryotic cells. The cryopreserved eukaryotic cells can be thawed and recovered for inoculation and/or growth in a media to reproduce new cells. Provided herein are compositions and methods for the cryopreservation of eukaryotic cells in a media composition containing a phosphatidylcholine compound.

The present invention relates to excision of explant material comprising meristematic tissue from seeds, and storage of such material prior to subsequent use in plant tissue culture and genetic transformation. Methods for tissue preparation, storage, and transformation are disclosed, as is transformable meristem tissue produced by such methods, and apparati for tissue preparation.

The present invention provides medium compositions and methods for the regeneration of the whole plant from explants obtained from plants belonging to the Malvaceae family, particularly the Abelmoschus genus, more preferably Abelmoschus esculentus L, through somatic embryogenesis. The present invention also provides an efficient methodology for genetic transformation of plants belonging to the Malvaceae family through somatic embryogenesis in semisolid culture with the use of the Agrobacterium. The present invention is also related to a method for the development of virus-resistant transgenic plants belonging to the Malvaceae family.