protoplast /pro·to·plast/ (-plast) a bacterial or plant cell deprived of its rigid wall but with its plasma membrane intact; the cell is dependent for its integrity on an isotonic or hypertonic medium.
protoplast
pro·to·plast (pr  t -pl st )n. 1. The living material of a plant or bacterial cell, including the protoplasm and plasma membrane after the cell wall has been removed. 2. One that is the first made or formed; a prototype. |
protoplast
[prō′təplast]
Etymology: Gk, protos + plassein, to mold
1 (in biology) the protoplasm of a cell without its containing membrane.
2 a first entity or an original. protoplastic, adj.
protoplast
a bacterial or plant cell deprived of its rigid wall but with its plasma membrane intact; the cell is dependent for its integrity on an isotonic or hypertonic medium. In bacteria, specifically refers to gram-positive organisms. See also spheroplast.
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