Conclusions
Microbead encapsulation of protoplasts affords the opportunity to precisely control the physical microenvironment of individual plant cells. Ultimately, this method may help facilitate novel studies in plant biomechanics.
Results
Living protoplasts obtained from BY-2 tobacco suspension cultures were continuously incorporated into a stream of agarose microdroplets, collected in cooled mineral oil as gelled microbeads, and then transferred into liquid MS medium for culture. In this first report, we show that spherical microbeads containing living protoplasts can be easily generated in quantity and that these encapsulated cells continue to grow and divide. Conclusions: Microbead encapsulation of protoplasts affords the opportunity to precisely control the physical microenvironment of individual plant cells. Ultimately, this method may help facilitate novel studies in plant biomechanics.