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Protoplasts of Higher and Lower Plants

Isolation, Culture, and Fusion

  • Protocol
Plant Cell and Tissue Culture

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 6))

Abstract

Plant protoplasts are cells from which the cell wall has been removed enzymatically. Thus, they retain all the normal cell organelles plus the nucleus; the latter is capable of expressing totipotency through the conversion of the protoplast to the regenerated plant using tissue culture technology. The fact that plant regeneration from protoplasts is possible for a large number of species, many of prime agronomic value, means that the protoplast is now seen as an ideal starting point for the gamut of genetic engineering technologies designed to bring about plant improvement. The protoplast is an invaluable tool for a variety of studies, including uptake of exogenously supplied materials, such as bacteria (1), algae (2), organelles (3), viruses (4), and macromolecules like DNA (5), as well as physiological investigations (6), transformation assessments (7), ultrastructural studies (8), and the isolation of subcellular components, including nuclei, chromosomes, and vacuoles (9).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    John B. Power & Michael R. Davey

Authors
  1. John B. Power
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  2. Michael R. Davey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York

    Jerey W. Pollard

  2. The Hatfield Polytechnic, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK

    John M. Walker

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© 1990 Humana Press Inc.

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Power, J.B., Davey, M.R. (1990). Protoplasts of Higher and Lower Plants. In: Pollard, J.W., Walker, J.M. (eds) Plant Cell and Tissue Culture. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 6. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-161-6:237

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-161-6:237

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-161-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-493-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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