Cell fusion

As cell fusion (including cell fusion or Synzytose ) refers to the fusion of the plasma membranes of two cells. It is one of the methods of so-called green genetic engineering.

It occurs spontaneously but can also be brought about in Petri dishes (e.g., by electrical pulses, polyethylene glycol, or by attachment of inactivated virus to the plasma membrane ).

If only fuse the cell membranes thus produced hybrid cell has two nuclei, it is called heterokaryon ( cybrids ). Fusing the nuclear membranes, results in a cell with only one core, but the four sets of chromosomes. The fusion of two cells is an essential step of the hybridoma technique for the production of monoclonal antibodies. It is also used in agriculture in the controversial CMS method.