Protoplasts: small cells with big roles in plant biology

Compared with Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation, which is often expensive, time-consuming, and technically challenging, plant protoplasts provide a versatile cell system for conducting plant biology research by taking advantage of its low cost, high speed, high flexibility, and convenience. So far, techniques for protoplast isolation, transfection, and incubation have been well-established in many plant species, such as arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa), and maize (Zea mays).