Induction of cell fusion of plant protoplasts by electrical stimulation

Abstract

When an electric impulse of a few milliseconds was applied to point-adherence protoplasts isolated from cultured cells of Rauwolfia serpentina through glass capillary microelectrodes, fusion of the protoplasts was immediately induced. This phenomenon seems to be related to transient changes in the membrane state, such as membrane excitation, induced by electrical stimulation.