Tissue culture refers to the growth of tissues and/or cells separate from the organism. In 1907 the American zoologist Ross Granville Harrison demonstrated the growth of frog nerve cell processes in a medium of clotted lymph. This term usually is used in the context of animal tissue culture, while the more specific term plant tissue culture is used for plants. Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... Ross Granville Harrison (January 13, 1870-September 30, 1959) was a American biologist and anatomist. ... Plant tissue culture, also called micropropagation, is a practice used to propagate plants under sterile conditions, often to produce clones of a plant. ...

Modern Usage

Main article: cell culture

In modern usage, "tissue culture" often refers to the growth of animal or plant cells in vitro. In particular, the term is often used interchangeably with cell culture to specifically describe the in vitro culturing of mammalian cells. Epithelial cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) Cell culture is the term applied when cells are grown in a synthetic environment. ...

However, "tissue culture" can also be used to refer to the culturing of tissue pieces, i.e. explant culture or whole organs, i.e. organ culture. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with explant. ... Organ culture is a development from tissue culture methods of research, the organ culture is able to accurately model functions of an organ in various states and conditions by the use of the actual in vitro organ itself. ...

See also

• Cell culture
• Organ culture

Epithelial cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) Cell culture is the term applied when cells are grown in a synthetic environment. ... Organ culture is a development from tissue culture methods of research, the organ culture is able to accurately model functions of an organ in various states and conditions by the use of the actual in vitro organ itself. ...

External links

• Splitting and Passaging Cells in Tissue Culture
• www.research.umbc.edu/~jwolf/method5.htm - how-to guide for biology students
• Plant Tissue Culture - way to "xerox" a plant
• CELOS - a division of CELOS (Center for Agricultural Research in Suriname)