English
General description
Agar contains agarose and agaropectin, with agarose being the major gelling heteropolysaccharide. Agarose contains β-d-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-α-l-galactose, linked by glycosidic bonds β(1-4) called the neoagarobiose. It also has agarobiose with same disaccharide units with α(1-3) linkage.[1] The major source of agar is the cell wall of seaweed from Rhodophyceae family.[1]
Application
Agar has been used as a component of EDMm (modified version of Eucalyptus dunnii basal medium (EDM)) for development of shoots of Eucalyptus dunnii clones.[2] It has also been used as a component of Murashige and Skoog medium for in vitro culture of Strain TC09 of Cladosporium sphaerospermum.[3]
Agar has been used as a component
of Gamborg′s B5 regeneration medium[4]
of Murashige and skoog (MS) medium for the germination of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra seeds[5]
in shoot inducing and naphthalene acetic acid pretreatment medium for the regeneration of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings[6]
Biochem/physiol Actions
Agar is majorly used as microbial solid culture media.[1] It is used in the range of 0.5 to 1.0% (w/v) to solidify plant tissue culture media.[7] It is essential for in vitro root development.[8]
Preparation Note
Typical working concentration: 6-12 g/L.
Other Notes
Purified for research and protoplast culture.
