Protoplast: Definition, Plasmolysis & Living Status

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Priyadarshini
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What is a protoplast? I know that it is a part of the cell wall. So is the cell membrane on the inner side of the protoplast? During plasmolysis, does the protoplast pulls away or does the cell membrane pull away from the cell wall? The book I am referring to says that the protoplast is "living". What do they mean? The cell is a living thing, but are the organelles individually living things? What makes the protoplast living and not another organelle of the cell a living component?
 
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Correct.

Protoplast applies to plant cells, and bacterial cells - it is the remains of the cell after the cell wall is removed. It is an old term.
 
Geofleur said:
Doesn't protoplast usually refer to the rest of the cell after the cell wall has been removed? http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protoplast
That is what I saw when I looked it up online, but funnily the text that I am following refers to it as the living part of the cell and that it moves away from the cell wall during plasmolysis. Thanks anyway!
 
jim mcnamara said:
Correct.

Protoplast applies to plant cells, and bacterial cells - it is the remains of the cell after the cell wall is removed. It is an old term.
Thanks!
 
Priyadarshini said:
That is what I saw when I looked it up online, but funnily the text that I am following refers to it as the living part of the cell and that it moves away from the cell wall during plasmolysis. Thanks anyway!

The quoted definition has 4 usages:

"
noun
1.
Biology.
  1. the contents of a cell within the cell membrane, considered as afundamental entity.
  2. the primordial living unit or cell.

2.
a person or thing that is formed first; original; prototype.

3.
the hypothetical first individual or one of the supposed first pair of aspecies or the like."

[ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protoplast ]

Hypothetically they can refer to the nucleus. I would stay away from using it, at least without specifying usage. And possibly stay away from texts that do use and doesn't specify! :woot:
 
Torbjorn_L said:
The quoted definition has 4 usages:

"
noun
1.
Biology.
  1. the contents of a cell within the cell membrane, considered as afundamental entity.
  2. the primordial living unit or cell.

2.
a person or thing that is formed first; original; prototype.

3.
the hypothetical first individual or one of the supposed first pair of aspecies or the like."

[ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protoplast ]

Hypothetically they can refer to the nucleus. I would stay away from using it, at least without specifying usage. And possibly stay away from texts that do use and doesn't specify! :woot:
Thanks!