Protoplast Culture, Somatic Hybridization and Somatic Cybridization

Protoplast Culture, Somatic Hybridization and Somatic Cybridization - One of the most significant developments in the field of plant tissue culture, Witnessed during the last few decades, is the isolation, culture and fusion of protoplasts. A more recent achievement is the manipulation and regeneration of these cultured or fused protoplasts into whole plants.

Since in plant cells, the plasma membrane is bound by a rigid cellulose wall (unlike animal cells), it has been relatively difficult to handle plant cells. Only in 1960, it was demonstrated by E.C. Cocking at the University of, Nottingham (U.K.), that naked cells called protoplasts can be obtained through enzymatic degradation of cell walls.

This led to significant developments in the field of somatic cell genetics in higher plants. Cultured protoplasts can be used not only for somatic cell fusions, but also for taking up foreign DNA, cell organelles, bacteria and virus particles. In view of this, the isolation and culture of protoplasts has become a very important area of research, within the realm of plant biotechnology.

The essential ingredients of the technique include isolation of protoplasts, culture of protoplasts, introduction of foreign DNA into protoplasts, raising whole plants from cultured protoplasts and fusion of protoplasts leading to somatic hybridization.