Tobacco BY-2 cells are nongreen, fast growing plant cells which can multiply their numbers up to 100-fold within one week in adequate culture medium (such as Murashige and Skoog medium[citation needed]) and good culture conditions.
The model plant system is comparable to HeLa cells for human research.
They are used by plant physiologists and molecular biologists as a model organism.
The diversity of cell types within any part of a naturally grown plant (in vivo) makes it very difficult to investigate and understand some general biochemical phenomena of living plant cells.
The influence of neighbouring cells behavior is in the suspension is not as important as it would be in an intact plant.