The application of fungal protoplasts in biotechnology.

Fungi are organisms of enormous industrial importance, and are used for the production of compounds such as antibiotics, organic acids and immunosuppressants. Many studies have suggested that their industrial value may in some cases be increased by exploitation of technologies involving fungal protoplasts, where the cell wall has been removed, usually enzymically. This article critically examines what the advantages of using protoplasts are, the current methodology for the preparation, and how they behave subsequently.