The Breeding of High-Quality Dandelions by NaCl Induced Callus Variation Combined with a Drosophila Tumor Cell Migration Test

Creating high-quality and salt-tolerant plant germplasm is an effective strategy to improve the utilization of saline-alkali land. Salt-induced callus mutation was used to create dandelion germplasm and mutant dandelion calluses were obtained under NaCl concentrations of 0.8%, 1%, and 1.2% with the identification of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. A new dandelion line, “Binpu 2”, selected from the progenies of dandelion tissue culture plantlets that originated from callus treated under 0.8% NaCl, was evaluated in light of its morphological characteristics, bioactive components, and antitumor functions. Results showed that the plant shape of “Binpu 2”was nearly upright; its cichoric acid content was 6.7 mg/g, which was 39.6% and 36.7% higher than its mother plant and local dandelion cultivar, respectively; its leaf water extracts of 0.2 g/mL had a significant inhibitory effect on cell polarity disruption-induced cell migration without affecting drosophila normal growth, revealed by the strong inhibitory effect on tumor cell migration, the increased level of MMP1 and β-Integrin, and the reduced E-cadherin expression. Our results suggested that “Binpu 2” originated from salt-induced mutant performed better than its mother plant and processed strong antitumor function, which was suitable for amplified cultivation in saline-alkali land for food and medicinal industrial development.