This is also called somatic hybridization. A number of thus cloned protoplasts regenerated into complete plants. By now have protoplasts from a number of dicotyledonous angiosperms been regenerated into fertile plants. Solanaceae pose the smallest problems. In contrast regenerated protoplasts from leguminosae or monocots into complete plants only after the development of costly procedures that do still not always succeed.
Regeneration requires an addition of phytohormones to the medium.
It looks as if the mesophyll cells of monocots would loose the respective receptors. On the other hand is the lacking ability to regenerate into protoplasts of economically important cultivated plants a large handicap when trying to transfer the knowledge gained with this method to the agricultural practice. The aggregation of two or more protoplasts is not enough to start a fusion. Protoplast surfaces bear strong negative charges. In contrast to animal cells is the surface charge not caused by sialic acid residues but by phosphate groups.