Somatic Hybridization

Introduction

Somatic Hybridization-

Protoplast of different species can be fused to generate a hybrid and this process is referred to as somatic hybridization

Protoplast –

Protoplast are naked plant cells without the cell wall but they posses plasma membrane and all other cellular component.

Cybridization (Cytoplasmic Hybrid)

Cybridization is the phenomenon of fusion of normal protoplast with an enucleated (without nucleus) protoplast that results in the formation of a cybrid or cyoplast .

History –

Term Protoplast – Hanstein -1880

First isolation of protoplast – Klercker 1892

Regeneration of Whole plant (Tobacco) prom protoplast first achieved by – Rakabe – 1971

Importance of protoplast culture

The protoplast in culture can be regenerated in to a whole plant
Hybrid can be developed from protoplast fusion
It is easy to perform single cell cloning with protoplasts
Genetic transformation can be achieved through genetic engineering of protoplst DNA
Protoplast are excellent material for ultrastructure studies.
Isolation of cell organelles and chromosomes is easy from protoplasts.
Protoplasts are useful for membrane studies (transport and uptake processes)
Isolation of muttants from protoplast cultures is easy.

Somatic Hybridization or protoplast fusion

Production of hybrid plants through the fusion of protoplasts of two different plant species or varieties is called somatic hybridization such hybrid is called somatic hybrid.

•The technique is used for hybridization between two different species and different genera where crosses are not possible by sexual reproduction.

•It is useful because hybrid cells of plants can be easily regenerated to whole plants due to totipotency