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AAT Bioquest

What are the differences between plant and animal tissue culture?

Posted December 3, 2020


Answer

The following table outlines the major differences between plant and animal tissue culture:

Plant Tissue CultureAnimal Tissue Culture
A technique used to maintain or grow plant cells, tissues or organs under aseptic conditions on a culture medium.An in vitro technique in which a sample cell, tissue or organ is cultivated from a parent organism and grown artificially in a controlled environment (e.g. incubator and culture medium)
Require a limited number of nutrients for growthRequires a wide range of nutrients for growth (e.g carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, etc.)
Can differentiate into any type of plant cellCan only perform the specialized functions of the organ from which the sample was cultivated
Can undergo an unlimited number of cell cyclesUndergoes a finite number of cell cycles before they begin to degrade.
Can be divided into three main categories: callus culture, protoplast culture and embryo cultureCan be divided into two main categories: adherent cultures and suspension cultures
PhotosyntheticNot photosynthetic
Additional resources

Tissue Culture Models