Agglutination and fusion of plant protoplasts by polyethylene glycol

Abstract

Protoplasts from pea leaves and Vicia hajastana cell cultures agglutinated tightly immediately after treatment with a concentrated solution of polyethylene glycol 6000. Pretreatment of the protoplasts with 0.01 g/liter lysozyme, 0.1 g/liter papain, 0.01% glutaraldehyde, and 0.01 g/liter lysolecithin reduced the agglutination. The results indicate that the integrity of the plasmalemma and electrostatic charges on the outer surface of the membrane are necessary for the polyethylene glycol- (PEG-) induced agglutination. Reduced agglutination, in general, resulted in a decrease in the percentage of fusion products. Pretreatment of protoplasts with 0.1 g/liter lysozyme, however, appeared to promote the formation of heterokaryocytes despite the lower degree of agglutination.