CELL & TISSUE DESIGN IN PLANTS

Within our cell & tissue design platform, Perpetuum develops methodologies to optimize the regeneration abilities of plant cells and tissues. This enables precision breeding and delivers novel biological concepts for seed production and variety/cultivar development. 

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Perpetuum provides key solutions for cell biology bottlenecks associated with creation of genome edited crops in plants which are difficult to regenerate from single cells to a fertile stage, thereby creating elite crops or strains with improved complex traits, such as reproduction traits, biotic and abiotic stress, via creation of novel plant tissues.

Perpetuum has state-of-the-art protoplast and cytoplast protocols for plant regeneration and genome editing.

PROTOPLAST FUSION APPROACH

Protoplasts are plant cells which have lost their cell wall. They are generated by treating parts of leaves with enzymes which digest the cell wall. The protoplasts form new cell walls and divide, forming a callus and later a plant. Chemical or electrical stimuli can be used to stimulate protoplasts from different plant species to fuse (somatic hybridization).

In the course of the fusion the organelles of both plants (chloroplasts and mitochondria) combine while during crossing the descendants only receive the maternal chloroplasts and mitochondria. The tetraploid plant resulting from this fusion shows the characteristics of both parental plants. During regeneration, the chromosomes and organelles of parents can become mixed, resulting in many new combinations.

ENZYME TREATMENT TO

DISSOLVE CELL WALLS

PROTOPLASTS

CELL FUSION

CELL NUCLEUS FUSION

CYTOPLAST FUSION APPROACH

In order to avoid the exchange of chromosomes the protoplasts can be treated in such a way that the nucleus is removed or fragmented. These so-called cytoplasts contain the organelles but no chromosomes from the donor plant (parent plant).  In this way one can, for example, transfer CMS (cytoplasmic male sterility) into another plant. 

CELL FUSION

NEW CELLS