Transfer of organelles of the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardii into carrot cells by protoplast fusion

A mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardii which lacks a cell wall was fused with Daucus carota protoplasts using polyethylene glycol and the resulting fusion products were cultured. Fusion involved integration of Chlamydomonas and carrot plasma membranes and the release of algal organelles into the carrot cytoplasm. Chlamydomonas basal bodies, nuclei and chloroplasts were frequently observed in the fusion products. Cultured fusion products regenerated cell walls and divided; most Chlamydomonas organelles degenerated during culture but chloroplasts were still recognizable in the carrot cytoplasm after 10.Abbreviations PEG polyethylene glycol - TEM transmission electron microscopy - SEM scanning electron microscopy This study was undertaken during sabbatical leave in The Research School of Biological Sciences. Australian National University