CHAPTER 5 : CELL DIVISION

Tissue Culture Technique

A small piece of a plants leaf, shoot, bud, stem or root tissues are
cut out. These cut out plants tissues are called explants. Alternatively,
enzymes are used to digest the cell walls of tissues, for example, the
mesophyll tissue from a leaf. This result in naked cells without cell walls
called protoplasts. The explants or protoplasts are sterilised and then
placed in a glass container which contains a nutrient solution with a fixed
chemical composition. A culture medium or growth medium normally
consists of a complex mixture of glucose, amino acids, minerals, and other
substances required for the growth of the tissues. The culture medium and
the apparatus used must be in a sterile condition and free from
microorganisms which can contaminate the tissue culture. The pH and the
temperature of the culture medium also need to be maintained at
optimum levels.
The explants or protoplasts begin to divide by mitosis. Cell division
produces aggregates of cells. The aggregates of cells develop into a
callus, an undifferentiated mass of tissue. The callus develops into a
somatic embryo. The embryo develops into a plantlet which can later be
transferred to the soil for growth into an adult plant. All the plantlets
produced this way are genetically identical. Therefore, all the adult plants
that develop from them share the same traits.

Cancer
When a cell divides by mitosis repeatedly without control and
regulation, it can produce cancer cells. Cancer is a disease caused by
uncontrolled mitosis due to severe disruption to the mechanism that
controls the cycle. Cancer cells divide freely and uncontrollably without
heeding the cell cycle control system. Cancer cells compete with the
surrounding normal cells to obtain sufficient nutrients and energy for their
own growth. A cancer cell that is not destroyed will divide uncontrollably
to form a tumour, an abnormal mass of cells. Cancer cells can intrude on
and spread to other tissues which then lead to the malfunction of the
tissues and ultimately death.
Cancer can be caused by many factors such as damage to the DNA,
changes in genes (mutation) that control cell division, ionising radiation,
for example, X-rays, ultraviolet rays and gamma rays, certain chemical
compounds like tar in tobacco smoke or carcinogenic (cancer-causing)
compounds such as formaldehyde.