Plant Tissue Culture Techniques

Adventitious Development

• Shoots, roots, or other organs develop from unusual origins
• In tissue culture, shoots/roots from callus tissue, embryos from sources besides zygotes

Adventive Embryony

• Embryo formation/development from asexual cells
• Occurs in some Rutaceae members

Androgenesis

• Plant development in vitro from male gametophytes

Apical Meristem

• Small group of meristematic cells at shoot/root tips
• Precursors of shoot and root structures

Aseptic Culture

• Culture without unwanted organisms
• Purposeful culture of plant cells, tissues without bacterial/fungal contamination

Aseptic Techniques

• Methods to prevent microbial entry into cell/tissue/organ cultures

Auxins

• Plant growth hormones
• Cause cell elongation, apical dominance, root initiation
• Examples: 2,4-D, IAA, NAA, IBA

Batch Culture

• Cell suspension culture
• Cells/small aggregates grow in a set volume of nutrient medium

Callus Tissue

• Unorganized mass of proliferative cells
• Forms in cultures or naturally

Cell Culture

• Maintaining cells (including single cells) in vitro
• Cells no longer organized into tissues

Chemostat

• Cell suspension culture
• Maintains constant growth rate/cell density through controlled nutrient input

Chimera

• Organism/tissue with non-uniform genetics

Clonal Propagation

• In vitro propagation of genetically uniform plants from single individuals/explants

Clone

• Group of genetically identical individuals from a single explant

Cybrid

• Result of protoplast fusion, where nuclei may or may not fuse, and cytoplasm remains fused (potentially a cytoplasmic hybrid)

Cytodifferentiation

• In vitro vascular differentiation, especially xylem elements in callus

Cytokinins

• Plant growth hormones stimulating cell division and sometimes enlargement
• Promote organ formation from undifferentiated callus

Differentiation

• Cellular/tissue/organ change leading to variations in structure/function

Disease-Free Plants

• Plants certified pathogen-free through tests

Embryo Culture

• In vitro culture of isolated mature/immature zygotic embryos

Embryogenesis

• Embryoid development in plant tissue culture

Embryoid

• Structure comparable to zygotic embryo in tissue culture from somatic cells

Epigenetic Variation

• Phenotypic variation not linked to genetic changes, but rather influenced by non-genetic factors

Explant

• Tissue piece isolated from plant for initiating a culture

Friable/Friability

• Tendency of plant cells/callus tissue to separate

Gene Bank

• Collection of germplasm (genetic resources)

Genetic Change

• Phenotypic variation due to genetic changes, transmitted through sexual reproduction

Germplasm

• Gene combinations available for breeding

Habituated

• Culture tissue/organ growing on nutrient medium without added plant hormones

Haploid

• Cell/nucleus with a single set of chromosomes

Heterokaryon

• Cell with dissimilar genetically unrelated nuclei

Heterozygous

• Organism with different alleles for a trait

Homozygous

• Organism with identical alleles for a particular trait

In Vitro

• In glass/artificial setting; cells/tissues removed from host organism for experimentation

In Vitro Propagation

• Propagation of plants in an artificial medium under controlled conditions.

In Vivo

• Within/inside the living organism

Inoculum

• Portion of a suspension cell culture for subculturing.

Meristemoid

• Localized group of meristematic cells in callus tissue that can differentiate into roots/shoots in culture.

Micropropagation

• Asexual/vegetative plant propagation using tissue culture

Morphogenesis

• Process of growth/development of plant form/structure

Nutrient Medium

• Solution for plant cell/tissue culture, containing inorganic/organic components, carbohydrate, vitamins, amino-acids, and plant hormones.
• Solidified by agar-agar.

Nurse Culture

• Isolated cells that don't divide on their own but can divide in the presence of other cells. Often used to help cells grow.

Organ Culture

• Maintaining an organ in-vitro (in a lab environment) without forming a callus.

Organogenesis

• Development of organs from undifferentiated cells in tissue culture.

Passage

• Transferring or "subculturing" tissue or cells to a fresh medium (a stage in tissue culture).

Plantlet

• A small, in-vitro-grown plant

Plant Tissue Culture

• Experimental technique. Cultures of plant cells, tissues, and organs in an artificial medium.

Plating Efficiency

• Percentage of colonies formed by cells/protoplasts plated

Primary Culture

• Plant culture started directly from a plant part.

Primordium

• Earliest stage in the development of a plant organ.

Protoplast

• Plant cell without its cell wall.

Protoplast Fusion

• Combining two or more protoplasts to form a single cell.

Somaclonal Variation

• Genetic variation arising during tissue culture.

Somatic Hybridization

• In-vitro fusion of protoplasts from different somatic cells.

Sterile

• Free from microorganisms.

Subculture

• To transfer cells to fresh media to maintain the culture.

Suspension Culture

• Culturing cells or cell aggregates in liquid medium.

Totipotency

• The ability of a plant cell to develop into a complete plant.

Transfection

• Introduction of foreign DNA into cells (often to study/effect gene expression).

Transgenesis

• Stable introduction of foreign DNA into a genome; results in genetic modification.

Virus-Free

• A plant certified to be free of specific plant viruses through testing.

Test your knowledge on the various techniques and concepts related to plant tissue culture. This quiz covers terms such as the development of shoots and roots, the role of auxins, and characteristics of clonal propagation. Perfect for students in botany or horticulture!