Induction of cell fusion of plant protoplasts by electrical stimulation

摘要

When an electric impulse of a few milliseconds was applied to point-adherence protoplasts isolated from cultured cells ofRauwolfia serpentinathrough 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.