Gottlieb Haberlandt Research Articles

TISSUE CULTURE AND ITS APPLICATION IN MODERN AGRICULTURE

Tissue culture is a technique of growing plant cells, tissues and organs in an artificial prepared medium under aseptic conditions, which was invented by Gottlieb Haberlandt in 1902. Plant tissue culture is based on cellular totipotency, dedifferentiation, and redifferentiation. This paper overviews about procedures and applications of tissue culture by the analysis of numerous published studies. Compared to normal plant breeding methods, which take substantially longer, crops produced through tissue culture is developed through accurate and time-saving methods. It enables the recovery of embryos created by incompatible crosses, eliminates the phenomena of seed dormancy seen in plant species, and the life cycle of some species whose life cycles are relatively long are shorten. Even in situations where the species would typically have poor rates of multiplication, tissue culture enables the quick generation of a large number of plants. Also tissue culture required less space for multiplication of clones. An agriculturally valuable phenotype should come from the genetic diversity recovered from tissue culture regenerated plants. There are numerous issues arises in tissue culture. Researchers are having difficulty propagating plant tissues and acclimating in vitro produced plants in their natural habitat. However, greater understanding and study will lead to more widespread use of tissue culture.

Algal Ocelloids and Plant Ocelli.

Vision is essential for most organisms, and it is highly variable across kingdoms and domains of life. The most known and understood form is animal and human vision based on eyes. Besides the wide diversity of animal eyes, some animals such as cuttlefish and cephalopods enjoy so-called dermal or skin vision. The most simple and ancient organ of vision is the cell itself and this rudimentary vision evolved in cyanobacteria. More complex are so-called ocelloids of dinoflagellates which are composed of endocellular organelles, acting as lens- and cornea/retina-like components. Although plants have almost never been included into the recent discussions on organismal vision, their plant-specific ocelli had already been proposed by Gottlieb Haberlandt already in 1905. Here, we discuss plant ocelli and their roles in plant-specific vision, both in the shoots and roots of plants. In contrast to leaf epidermis ocelli, which are distributed throughout leaf surface, the root apex ocelli are located at the root apex transition zone and serve the light-guided root navigation. We propose that the plant ocelli evolved from the algal ocelloids, are part of complex plant sensory systems and guide cognition-based plant behavior.

Forever young: stem cell and plant regeneration one century after Haberlandt 1921.

Plants are characterized by a post-embryonic mode of organ development, which results in a need for these photoautotrophic organisms to regenerate lost parts in the course of their life cycle. This capacity depends on the presence of "pluripotent stem cells," which are part of the meristems within the plant body. One hundred years ago, the botanist Gottlieb Haberlandt (1854-1945) published experiments showing wounding-induced callus formation, which led ultimately to plant regeneration in tissue culture and thence to the techniques of "plant biotechnology," with practical applications for mankind. Here, we recount Haberlandt's discovery within the context of his long research life and his most influential book Physiologische Pflanzenanatomie. In the second part, we describe and analyze a plant tissue-culture regeneration system using sterile, dark-grown sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedlings as experimental material. We document that excised hook segments, which contain a "stem cell niche," can regenerate entire miniature H. annuus-plantlets that, raised in a light/dark regime, develop flowers. Finally, we discuss molecular data relevant to plant regeneration with reference to phytohormones and conclude that, one century after Haberlandt, 1921, the exact biochemical/genetic mechanisms responsible for the capability of stem cells to remain "forever young" are, although already complex, really just beginning to become known.

Methodological Advances in Auxin and Cytokinin Biology.

The history of auxin and cytokinin biology including the initial discoveries by father-son duo Charles Darwin and Francis Darwin (1880), and Gottlieb Haberlandt (1919) is a beautiful demonstration of unceasing continuity of research. Novel findings are integrated into existing hypotheses and models and deepen our understanding of biological principles. At the same time new questions are triggered and hand to hand with this new methodologies are developed to address these new challenges.

The perception of cytokinin: a story 50 years in the making.

In 1913, Gottlieb Haberlandt found that phloem exudates from various plant species had the ability to stimulate cell division in wounded potato ( Solanum tuberosum ) tubers ([Haberlandt, 1913][1]). These studies implied the existence of a soluble factor(s) that could promote cell division in plant

PLANT TISSUE CULTURE: PAST, PRESENT AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

Modern biotechnology owes much to its roots derived from plant tissue culture and micropropagation. Indeed, the landmark publication by Gottlieb Haberlandt (1902), who is arguably referred to as the Father of Tissue Culture, is often cited as the origin and emergence of plant tissue culture and its subsequent applications. Success of biotechnological approaches is dependent on regeneration of intact plants following genetic modification, generally by micropropagation. Contributions of Knudson, Thimann and Went, White, Gautheret, Skoog and others are discussed in a historical perspective. Examples of currently employed uses of plant tissue culture, especially practical applications of micropropagation are presented, which enables science to transition into an evaluation of what lies ahead. Potential uses of plant tissue culture and biotechnology to further our understanding of plant physiology, how plants function and resolution of legal issues are presented. Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation along with other modes of transformation such as micro-projectile bombardment have been accomplished. Incorporation of disease and stress resistance and other horticulturally important traits is a logical outcome to be anticipated in the future. Use of molecular technologies for identification of genotypes, clones and their ancestors will enable researchers and producers to verify identity and parentage of propagules, whether produced by conventional or modern propagation methods. No doubt yet to be imagined applications of plant biotechnology will emerge as the XXI st Century continues to unfold.

Laimer, M., Rücker, W. (ed.): Plant Tissue Culture, 100 years since Gottlieb Haberlandt

Laimer, M., Rücker, W. (ed.): Plant Tissue Culture, 100 years since Gottlieb Haberlandt

Renewed debate over transpiration and long-distance transport of minerals in plants

Although little research is available on the subject, it is commonly accepted that transpiration, the evaporative loss of water from plant leaves, is required for the long-distance transport of inorganic nutrients in the xylem of higher plants. However, over the history of plant nutrition, there has been no lack of researchers who have questioned this precept. For example, Gottlieb Haberlandt, investigating the transpiration rate of the leaves of tropical plants in 1892, was the first to state clearly a view opposed to the commonly accepted one: ‘The low rate of transpiration, which is typical for the abundantly growing plants of the moist lowlands of Java certainly is a strong argument against the still very popular assumption that the transpiration stream as vehicle for nutrient salts is of major importance for plant nutrition’. Today it is recognized that the metabolic uptake of ions and the passive uptake of water are independent processes.

Symposium in Memory of the 100th Anniversary of the Foundation of Tissue Culture by Gottlieb Haberlandt 8–9 October 1998, Institute for Applied Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Vienna

Symposium in Memory of the 100th Anniversary of the Foundation of Tissue Culture by Gottlieb Haberlandt 8–9 October 1998, Institute for Applied Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Vienna

Cellular ‘elementary organisms’ in vitro. The early vision of Gottlieb Haberlandt and its realization

The botanist Gottlieb Haberlandt was the first who in 1898 (published in 1902) tried the systematic culture in vitro of single cells. His purpose was to study the mutual influences of cells as the last ‘living units’ within the multicellular body. Haberlandt visualized the theoretical potential of the culture approach in experimental plant morphology and physiology and nearly half a century was to elapse before his far‐reaching ideas were realized. The history of cell and tissue culture is traced from the first concepts and origins in experimental embryology (1858/59) to its final verification almost 100 years later. The paper reminds of essential steps, theoretical backgrounds, accidental and planned discoveries and methodological approaches, and attempts to present all sources. The more or less known reviews of White (1931, 1936 and 1946), Fiedler (1938/39), Stapp (1947), Kandler (1948) and Street (1959) are summarized, and the mutual influence of plant and animal tissue culture on each other is discussed. Previous retrospective articles on the particular role of Haberlandt, namely those of Gautheret (1942) and Krikorian and Berquam (1969), are included in a general assessment of physiological anatomy in memory of the 50th anniversary of this great botanist's death.

Cellular 'elementary organisms' in vitro. The early vision of Gottlieb Haberlandt and its realization

Cellular 'elementary organisms' in vitro. The early vision of Gottlieb Haberlandt and its realization

The Croonian Lecture, 1969 - From cultured cells to whole plants: the induction and control of their growth and morphogenesis

In 1902 Gottlieb Haberlandt attempted to maintain and to investigate surviving angiosperm cells removed from the plant body. Haberlandt’s success was limited by the techniques at his disposal, and his observations were restricted to minimal signs of maintained vital activity which could be observed with the light microscope, as summarized in a composite figure which has recently been reproduced (Steward 1968, p. 468) and which also appears in a complete translation of Haberlandt’s text (Krikorian & Berquam 1969). Nevertheless, Haberlandt made farsighted forecasts. It is often attributed to Haberlandt that he suggested that it should be possible to grow plants even from such isolated surviving cells as those that he used (e. g. the parenchyma cells of Labiates or the hair cells of Tradescantia ). But in a relatively recent re-reading of that oft-quoted paper (Steward, Blakely, Kent & Mapes 1963) it became clear that Haberlandt’s forecast was even more acute, for he prophesied that ‘out of cells like these we ought to be able to make artificial embryos '. Thus the concept of the essential totipotency of all the living cells (derived by equational divisions from the zygote of angiosperms, whatever their location or function), and their presumptive growth in culture essentially derives from Haberlandt in 1902. Even so, Haberlandt’s remarkable forecast was not really vindicated until about 60 years later. However, the events here documented, which bear upon this question, arose from techniques developed and experiments performed with very different ends in view. It is of some interest to show how this came about. The subject area which was to lead the author to the study of morphogenesis in free cells was a seemingly very different one: it concerned the problem then known as the accumulation of solutes by plant cells. Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, this problem had been prominently investigated, using very thin (0.75 mm) disks cut from various plant storage organs (potato tuber, carrot root, Jerusalem artichoke tubers, etc.) and adopting a technique devised for the purpose (Steward 1932). The methods used in that period identified what may now be (figure 1 c ), and they also synthesize protein at the expense of their stored nonprotein nitrogen compounds (figure 1 b ). Even when such cells are in contact with moist air, they turn starch into sugar (figure 1 a ) and display an elevated rate of respiration and of all concomitant metabolic events. Thus, the pace of all the events that depend upon energy use (e. g. protein synthesis and ion accumulation) is regulated by temperature (Steward, Berry, Preston & Ramamurti 1943), by oxygen partial pressure (figure 1 d ), by potassium concentration, etc., in ways which demanded an explanation of the causal link between them. It was, however, the experimental system devised to illuminate this essentially cell physiological problem which led, unexpectedly, to the work on growth induction and morphogenesis that is now to be described. This came about as follows. Several problems were posed for investigation when work was resumed after the Second World War. These problems were: (1) To devise a system, more versatile than that provided by the cut disks of potato tuber, on which to study the metabolism, respiration, growth and ion intake of cells. For this it was desirable to find a common, quiescent, parenchymatous tissue that could be stimulated, easily, into the most rapidly growing state possible. (This objective was achieved by the use, under aseptic tissue culture conditions, of explanted pieces (2.5 mg) of the secondary phloem of carrot root and by the growth inducing effect, over and above ordinary nutrients, of coconut milk added to the external solution.) (2) To devise new means to study in greater detail the protein synthesis which occurred concomitantly with progressive ion intake. (This second objective was met by adopting the then new procedures of paper chromatography and radioautography.) (3) A third, and seemingly more distant, goal was to begin the study of nutrition and metabolism at the beginning, i.e. with the fertilized egg or zygote and, hopefully, to remove such cells from the ovule and induce them to grow in isolation. (Paradoxically, as will be shown, it is now far easier to make isolated, free, mature carrot cells recapitulate embryogeny than it is to remove, surgically, single eggs from ovules and to grow them in isolation.)