Tissue culture methods and applications

Tissue Culture methods and applications

Tissue culture refers to a method in which fragments of a tissue (plant or animal tissue) are introduced into a new, artificial Environment, where they continue to function or grow. While fragments of a tissue are often used, it is important to note that entire organs are also used for tissue culture purposes. Here, such Growth media as broth and agar are used to facilitate the process.

Methods of Tissue Culture

Seed culture

Seed culture is the type of tissue culture that is primarily used for Plants such as orchids. For this method, explants (tissue from the plant) are obtained from an in-vitro derived plant and introduced in to an artificial environment, where they get to proliferate. In the event that a plant material is used directly for this process, then it has to be sterilized to prevent tissue damage and ensure optimum regeneration.

Embryo Culture

Embryo culture is the type of tissue culture that involves the isolation of an embryo from a given organism for in vitro growth. *Note, the term embryo culture is used to refer to sexually produced zygotic embryo culture. Embryo culture may involve the use of a mature of immature embryo. Whereas mature embryos for culture are essentially obtained from ripe seeds, immature embryo (embryo rescue) involves the use of immature embryos from unripe/hybrid seeds that failed to germinate. In doing so, the embryo is ultimately able to produce a viable plant.

For embryo culture, the ovule, seed or fruit from which the embryo is to be obtained is sterilized, and therefore the embryo does not have to be sterilized again. Salt sucrose may be used to provide the embryo with nutrients. The culture is enriched with organic or inorganic compounds, inorganic salts as well as growth regulators.

Callus Culture

Callus is the term used to refer to unspecialized, unorganized and a dividing mass of cells. A callus is produced when explants (cells) are cultured in an appropriate medium – A good example of this is the tumor tissue that grows out of the wounds of differentiated Tissues/organs.

In practice, callus culture involves the growth of a callus (composed of differentiated and non- differentiated cells), which is the followed by a procedure that induces organ differentiation.

For this type of tissue culture, the culture is often sustained on a gel medium, which is composed of agar and a mixture of given macro and micronutrients depending on the type of cells. Different types of basal salt mixtures such as murashige and skoog medium are also used in addition to VITAMINS to enhance growth.

Organ Culture

Organ culture is a type of tissue culture that involves isolating an organ for in vitro growth. Here, any organ plant can be used as an explant for the culture process (Shoot, root, leaf, and flower).

With organ culture, or as is with their various tissue components, the method is used for preserve their structure or functions, which allows the organ to still resemble and retain the characteristics they would have in vivo. Here, new growth (differentiated structures) continues given that the organ retains its physiological features. As such, an organ helps provide information on patterns of growth, differentiation as well as development.

Major Steps of Tissue Culture method (Plants)

Initiation Phase (Stage 1)

The initiation phase is the first phase of tissue culture. Here, the tissue of interest is obtained and introduced and sterilized in order to prevent any microorganism from negatively affecting the process. It is during this stage that the tissue is initiated in to culture.

Multiplication Phase (Stage 2)

The multiplication phase is the second step of tissue culture where the in vitro plant material is re- divided and then introduced in to the medium. Here, the medium is composed of appropriate components for growth including regulators and nutrients. These are responsible for the proliferation of the tissue and the production of multiple shoots.

*This step is often repeated several times in order to obtain the desired number of plants

Root formation (Stage 3)

It is at this phase that roots are formed. Here, HORMONES are required in order to induce rooting, and consequently complete plantlets.

Applications of tissue culture

Rapid Clonal Propagation

A clone is a group of individuals or cells derived from a single parent individual or cell through asexual Reproduction. All the cells in callus or suspension culture are derived from a single explants by mitotic division. Therefore, all plantlets regenerated from a callus/suspension culture generally have the same genotype and constitute a clone. These plantlets are used for rapid clonal propagation.

Soma-clonal Variation

Genetic variation present among plant cells of a culture is called soma-clonal variation. The term soma-clonal variation is also used for the genetic variation present in plants regenerated from a single culture. This variation has been used to develop several useful varieties.

Transgenic Plants

A gene that is transferred into an organism by Genetic engineering is known as transgene. An organism that contains and expresses a transgene is called transgenic organism. The transgenes can be introduced into individual plant cells. The plantlets can be regenerated from these cells. These plantlets give rise to the highly valuable transgenic plants.

Induction and Selection of Mutations

Mutagens are added to single cell liquid cultures for induction of mutations. The cells are washed and transferred to solid culture for raising mu ant plants. Useful mutants are selected for further breeding. Tolerance to Stress like pollutants, toxins, salts, drought, flooding etc. can also be obtained by providing them in culture medium in increasing dosage. The surviving healthy cells are taken to solid medium for raising resistant plants.

Resistance to Weedicides

It is similar to induction of mutations. Weedicides are added to culture initially in very small concentrations. Dosage is increased in subsequent cultures till die desired level of resistance is obtained. The resistant cells are then regenerated to form plantlets and plants.,

Tissue culture is a technique used to grow cells and tissues outside of the body. It is a valuable tool for research, as it allows scientists to study cells and tissues in a controlled environment. Tissue culture can also be used to produce cells and tissues for medical purposes, such as in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

There are many different methods for tissue culture, but they all involve growing cells or tissues in a nutrient-rich medium. The medium may be solid or liquid, and it may contain a variety of additives, such as hormones, growth factors, and antibiotics. The cells or tissues are typically grown in a sterile environment, such as a laboratory or a clean room.

Tissue culture can be used to grow a variety of cells and tissues, including cells from animals, plants, and humans. It can also be used to grow cells from specific organs or tissues. This makes tissue culture a valuable tool for research into the causes and treatment of diseases.

Tissue culture is also used to produce cells and tissues for medical purposes. For example, tissue culture is used to produce skin grafts for burn victims. It is also used to produce cells for use in organ transplantation.

Tissue culture is a safe and effective technique, but it does have some risks. One risk is that the cells or tissues may become contaminated with bacteria or viruses. Another risk is that the cells or tissues may mutate and become cancerous. However, these risks can be minimized by using good laboratory practices and by carefully selecting the cells or tissues to be cultured.

Tissue culture is a valuable tool for research and medical applications. It is a safe and effective technique that has the potential to improve the lives of many people.

Table of Contents

Tissue culture methods

The most common type of tissue culture is primary culture. Primary culture involves growing cells that have been taken directly from an organism. Primary cultures are often used for research purposes, as they allow scientists to study cells in their native state. However, primary cultures are typically not very stable, and they often die after a few weeks or months.

Secondary culture is a technique that is used to extend the lifespan of primary cultures. Secondary cultures are created by taking cells from a primary culture and growing them in a new medium. Secondary cultures are often more stable than primary cultures, and they can be grown for several months or even years.

Cell culture is a technique that is used to grow cells in a liquid medium. Cell cultures are often used to produce large quantities of cells for research or medical purposes. Cell cultures can be grown in suspension or in monolayers. Suspension cultures are grown in a liquid medium, and the cells are free to move around. Monolayer cultures are grown on a solid surface, and the cells form a single layer.

Organ culture is a technique that is used to grow organs or tissues in a laboratory. Organ cultures are often used to study the effects of drugs or other treatments on organs or tissues. Organ cultures can be grown in a variety of ways, but they are typically grown in a sterile environment and in a medium that contains the nutrients and hormones that the organ or tissue needs to survive.

Tissue culture applications

Tissue culture has a wide range of applications, including basic research, Biotechnology, regenerative medicine, and other applications.

Basic research: Tissue culture is a valuable tool for basic research, as it allows scientists to study cells and tissues in a controlled environment. Tissue culture can be used to study the growth and development of cells and tissues, as well as the effects of drugs and other treatments on cells and tissues.

Biotechnology: Tissue culture is also used in biotechnology, as it allows scientists to produce cells and tissues for a variety of purposes. For example, tissue culture is used to produce cells for use in organ transplantation, as well as cells for use in the production of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Regenerative medicine: Tissue culture is also used in regenerative medicine, as it allows scientists to grow new tissues and organs. Tissue engineering is a field of regenerative medicine that uses tissue culture to grow new tissues and organs from cells. Stem Cell Research is another field of regenerative medicine that uses tissue culture to grow stem cells. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to develop into any type of cell in the body.

Other applications: Tissue culture is also used in other applications, such as food safety, forensic science, and art conservation. For example, tissue culture is used to test for the presence of harmful bacteria in food. Tissue culture is also used to identify criminals by analyzing DNA from crime scenes. Tissue culture is also used to conserve works of art by repairing damaged paintings and sculptures.

What is tissue culture?
Tissue culture is a technique used to grow cells or tissues in a controlled environment. It is often used to study the growth and development of cells, to produce cells or tissues for medical research or transplantation, or to produce biological products such as Vaccines or hormones.

What are the different types of tissue culture?
There are many different types of tissue culture, but the most common are:

Primary culture: This is a culture of cells that have been taken directly from an organism.
Secondary culture: This is a culture of cells that have been subcultured (divided and grown again) multiple times.
Continuous culture: This is a culture of cells that are kept growing indefinitely by adding fresh medium and removing waste products.

What are the advantages of tissue culture?
Tissue culture has many advantages over other methods of studying cells or tissues, including:

It allows cells to be grown in a controlled environment, which can help to ensure that they are healthy and free of contamination.
It allows cells to be grown in large quantities, which can be useful for research or for producing biological products.
It allows cells to be grown in a variety of different environments, which can be useful for studying how cells respond to different conditions.

What are the disadvantages of tissue culture?
Tissue culture also has some disadvantages, including:

Cells grown in culture may not behave exactly the same as cells in the body.
Tissue culture can be expensive and time-consuming.
Tissue culture can be technically demanding.

What are some of the applications of tissue culture?
Tissue culture is used in a wide variety of applications, including:

Basic research: Tissue culture is used to study the growth and development of cells, to investigate the effects of drugs and other chemicals on cells, and to study the causes and treatment of diseases.
Medical research: Tissue culture is used to produce cells or tissues for medical research, such as to study the effects of new drugs or to test the safety of medical devices.
Tissue engineering: Tissue engineering is a field of medicine that uses tissue culture to create new tissues or organs for transplantation.
Bioproduction: Tissue culture is used to produce biological products such as vaccines, hormones, and antibodies.

What are some of the ethical issues surrounding tissue culture?
Tissue culture raises some ethical issues, such as the use of human embryos in research. It is important to consider these issues when using tissue culture in research or for other purposes.

Which of the following is not a type of tissue culture?
(A) Cell culture
(B) Organ culture
(C) Tissue slice culture
(D) Whole plant culture
Which of the following is not a common application of tissue culture?
(A) Production of pharmaceuticals
(B) Production of biofuels
(C) Conservation of endangered species
(D) Production of Food Crops
Which of the following is not a benefit of using tissue culture?
(A) It allows for the production of large quantities of cells or tissues in a short period of time.
(B) It allows for the growth of cells or tissues in a controlled environment.
(C) It allows for the isolation of specific cells or tissues.
(D) It allows for the genetic modification of cells or tissues.
Which of the following is not a risk associated with using tissue culture?
(A) The risk of contamination
(B) The risk of genetic drift
(C) The risk of mutation
(D) The risk of pathogen transmission
Which of the following is not a type of contamination that can occur in tissue culture?
(A) Bacterial contamination
(B) Viral contamination
(C) Fungal contamination
(D) Protozoan contamination
Which of the following is not a method of preventing contamination in tissue culture?
(A) Using sterile techniques
(B) Using aseptic techniques
(C) Using antibiotics
(D) Using antifungal agents
Which of the following is not a type of genetic drift that can occur in tissue culture?
(A) Gene silencing
(B) Gene amplification
(C) Gene mutation
(D) Gene deletion
Which of the following is not a method of preventing genetic drift in tissue culture?
(A) Using a large number of cells or tissues
(B) Using a diverse Population of cells or tissues
(C) Using a mutagen
(D) Using a genetic marker
Which of the following is not a type of mutation that can occur in tissue culture?
(A) Point mutation
(B) Chromosome mutation
(C) Gene mutation
(D) Genome mutation
Which of the following is not a method of preventing mutation in tissue culture?
(A) Using a mutagen
(B) Using a genetic marker
(C) Using a DNA repair enzyme
(D) Using a cell cycle checkpoint protein