Question

In protoplast fusion, the enzymes required are ___________
(a) Cellulase, hemicellulase, pectinase
(b) Pectinase
(c) Ligase, hemicellulase
(d) Hemicellulase

Answer 1

Hint: These enzymes help in the process of protoplast fusion by breaking and digesting different layers of plant cells. This removal of layers makes the fusion very easy for the cells.

Correct answer:
The enzymes required in protoplast fusion are cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase. Protoplast fusion is also known as somatic fusion in which genetic modification in plants is done. In the technique of genetic modification, two different species of plants are fused together to form a new hybrid plant bearing the characteristics of both the parent species. In the process, the enzyme cellulase digests the cellulose and removes the cell wall of one cell of each type of plant. The enzyme hemicellulase digests hemicellulose in the plant cell wall which is responsible for the rigidity of the plant cell. The enzyme pectinase breaks down the pectin which is holding cells together.

Additional Information:
-In protoplast fusion, after removal of the cell wall the cells are joined together and nuclei are fused with the help of chemical treatment or electric shock.
-Then the formation of a cell wall is induced with the help of hormones.
-The cells are then grown into plantlets and finally to a full-grown hybrid plant.
-The hybrid plant can be developed by the fusion either between two different species or between different varieties of the same species.
-Commercially the enzyme hemicellulase is used in baking products and in various other food preparation technologies.
-The enzyme hemicellulase is also produced by microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract and degrade dietary hemicellulose, which humans are unable to digest.
-By the process of phagocytosis, macromolecules like nucleic acids and proteins then viruses, cell components like chromosomes and chloroplasts are taken up by protoplasts.

So, the correct answer is,'Cellulase, hemicellulase, pectinase'.

Note:
-Protoplasts are very much suitable for the study related to the molecular architecture of plant cells.
-Once the cell wall has been removed the resulting protoplast becomes spherical in shape.
-Before the breakdown of the cell wall by cellulase the middle lamella is digested by the enzyme pectinase.