Laser-induced fusion of mammalian cells and plant protoplasts

An ultraviolet-laser microbeam was shown to be suitable for inducing fusion of individually selected plant protoplasts or of B-lymphocytes with myeloma cells. The fusion took place in normal culture medium and the fusogenic condition perturbed the cells only for a fraction of a millisecond. Without manipulating the cell culture except for exposing the cells to laser light, fusion products between preselected individual pairs may be produced.