Since 1960, plant breeding has known both in France and abroad, dramatic results that translate into progress in our daily life.

Among them: one hundred examples, expansion of cultivation areas of maize through the early hybrids, the creation of short-grain cereals, tolerant of strong nitrogenous fertilizers, resistant to lodging and ensuring a very high productivity, or increased yields of oil palm, the hybridizations in new Citrus, resistance to anthracnose in beans.

Until the 1990s, the greatest success were not related to the use of the latest acquisitions of biology. They are essentially the result of manipulation still empirical. In contrast to the very positive results so acquired a substantial inaccuracy regarding the mechanisms and genetic bases of the methods used is noteworthy. It suffices to take as evidence the fact that the effects of recombination and gene dosage belong to the realm of randomness.

Breeders are well aware of these shortcomings and try to develop new methods that better exploit the advances in biology. Some are already operational (haploid production by anther culture in vitro) or most (production variants), others more recent (mergers, cytoplasmic heterosis) are very promising and progressing day by day. Amazing results are now accepted. It remains, however, much to understand the mechanisms of gene expression in the effects of redundancy and polyploidy. Only basic research, conducted by breeders, will provide the answers to some of the many problems still remain.

Since the early 1960s, it is possible to merge these somatic cells. This mode of crossing is distinct from that which occurs during sexual reproduction. It is nevertheless an alternative approach and the highly successful genetic modern human.

In 1960, Georges Barski and colleagues at the Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif obtained in mixed cultures in vitro of two different strains of somatic cells, hybrid cells, clear product of the merger and integration of genetic two distinct cell units.

Special circumstances have facilitated the demonstration. Mouse cells chosen for these initial experiments were very different characteristics: one of them had a karyotype composed of many chromosomes “markers” in both arms, unusual for the mouse, and lacked tumorigenic properties and the other , with a karyotype quite close to normal, except for one extra-long marker chromosome, was highly malignant. In addition, both strains had very different morphologies, easily distinguishable.

The new hybrid cell was immediately recognizable by the simultaneous presence, in its karyotype, chromosomal met the two linings almost entirely.

The hybrid cells, isolated from mixed cultures, have proved perfectly feasible and could be developed in pure clonal populations that have retained, despite a degree of chromosome segregation, their essential properties, including their karyotype “hybrid” and morphology “intermediate”, and tumorigenic properties, inheritable malignant.

Opened a new path now in experimental biology. Could now be hoped that the sexual crosses, the primary tool, since the memorable work of Mendel, genetic analysis of the phenomena of heredity in higher beings, could [...]