What is the Difference Between Cybrids and Hybrids

The key difference between cybrids and hybrids is that cybrids are generated by fusing nucleated cells with cytoplasts, while hybrids are generated by fusing two nucleated cells.

Cybrids and hybrids are two eukaryotic cell lines that are made by fusion. They are extremely popular in cytogenetics. Cybrids are also known as cytoplasmic hybrids or heteroplasts. On the other hand, hybrids are known as somatic hybrids. These cell lines are very useful in disease studies, gene expression studies, population genetics, evolution, malignant transformation, viral replication, gene or chromosome mapping, and monoclonal antibody production through hybridoma technology.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Cybrids
3. What are Hybrids
4. Similarities – Cybrids vs Hybrids
5. Cybrids vs Hybrids in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Cybrids vs Hybrids

What are Cybrids?

Cybrids are generated by fusing nucleated cells with cytoplasts or enucleated cells. They are also known as cytoplasmic hybrids or heteroplasts. Cytoplasts are also called enucleated cells. This enucleation can be achieved by the simultaneous application of centrifugal force and treatment of the cell with an agent that disrupts the cytoskeleton. Cybrids are extremely popular and important in mitochondrial research. In mitochondrial research, cybrids provide suggestive evidence of mitochondrial involvement in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other medical conditions.

Recently, the creation of mixed human-animal cybrid embryos was done for medical purposes. Such cybrids are 99.9% human and 0.1% animal. These cybrids can be kept for a maximum of 14 days till the development of the brain and spinal cord. After that, the cybrid must be destroyed. During this 14-day period, stem cells can be harvested from the cybrids for medical purposes. However, under no circumstances such cybrids may be implanted into a human uterus. Furthermore, research utilizing cybrids embryos has been facing many legal issues due to ethical implications. This causes lots of predicaments in further cybrids research.

What are Hybrids?

Hybrids are generated by fusing two nucleated cells. Somatic hybridization is a hybrid-producing technology that is very popular in plant genetic studies as well as animal genetic studies. In plants, somatic hybridization can be used to produce a new hybrid plant from two distinct species of plants. The new hybrid (somatic hybrid) plant contains the characteristic of both parent varieties. In animal cells, somatic hybridization is involved in the fusion of human and mouse somatic cells. This can be achieved through the fusion of human cells, like fibrocytes or leucocytes, with mouse’s continuous cell lines.

Furthermore, the applications of hybrids may include studying the control of cell division and gene expression, investigating malignant transformation, obtaining viral replication, gene or chromosomal expression, and monoclonal antibody production through hybridoma technology.

What are the Similarities Between Cybrids and Hybrids?

Cybrids and hybrids are two eukaryotic cell lines that are made by fusion.
Both are extremely popular in cytogenetics.
Both are genetic modifications.
They are very useful in disease studies, gene expression studies, evolutionary studies, etc.
The production of both cybrids and hybrids is very expensive.
They face legal issues due to ethical implications.

What is the Difference Between Cybrids and Hybrids?

Cybrids are generated by fusing nucleated cells with cytoplasts, while hybrids are generated by fusing two nucleated cells. Thus, this is the key difference between cybrids and hybrids. Furthermore, cybrids are less common than hybrids.

The following table summarizes the difference between cybrids and hybrids.

Summary – Cybrids vs Hybrids

Cybrids and hybrids are two eukaryotic cell lines that are made by fusion. They are genetic modifications that are very popular in cytogenetics. Cybrids are generated by fusing nucleated cells with cytoplasts, while hybrids are generated by fusing two nucleated cells. So, this is the key difference between cybrids and hybrids. However, both these face numerous legal issues in modern days due to their ethical implications.

Reference:

1. “Cybrid.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Somatic Hybridization: Aspects, Applications and Limitations.” Biology Discussion.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Xenopus laevis x tropicalis cybrids 01” By Narbonne P, Simpson D, Gurdon J (2011) – Fig. S1 ofNarbonne P, Simpson D, Gurdon J (2011). “Deficient Induction Response in a Xenopus Nucleocytoplasmic Hybrid”. PLOS Biology. DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001197. PMID 22131902. PMC: 3217020. (CC BY 2.5) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Protoplast fusion” By Mnolf – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia