DYNAMIC SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS HAIRY ROOTS METABOLISM

A dynamic metabolic model was used to investigate the relationship between the primary metabolism and the secondary metabolites production potential for Catharanthus roseus. The production potential was described using an objective function including both the concentrations in precursors (tryptamine, secologanin) and the fluxes leading to these molecules. The sensitivity of this function to enzyme level and experimental conditions was tested through simulation. It was observed that the carbohydrates accumulation is an important factor for the production potential. The influx of nitrogen to the metabolism had a negative effect on production potential. These conclusions are qualitatively compared to previous experimental results.