Fine structure of the thraustochytrid Ulkenia amoeboidea. I. Vegetative thallus and formation of the amoeboid stage

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 1092-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Raghu Kumar

Development of the thraustochytrid Ulkenia amoeboidea was investigated at the ultrastructural level. The mature thallus possesses a lamellate wall, a nucleus with intranuclear vesicles and lamellae, several Golgi bodies, mitochondria, bundles of microfilaments, multivesicular bodies, dilated perinuclear continuum with filamentous material, endoplasmic reticulum, sagenogenetosomes, and two centrioles. Several unit membrane bounded, variously electron-dense inclusion bodies with electron-dense globular units are present. Wall scales are produced in Golgi cisternae which inflate to form vesicles. These vesicles deposit the wall material to the outside by exocytosis. An aggregate of unit membrane bounded electron-dense cisternae (paranuclear body) is found adpressed to the nucleus. A close association between the paranuclear body and the mitochondria, the former often producing finger-like projections in mitochondrial vicinity, is present. A protocentriole-like structure is seen near the nucleus of young thalli. At later stages, the ectoplasmic net elements disappear. Closely adpressed membrane arrays appear between the cell wall and plasmalemma. These are accumulated in bundles at various places in the cell and are later found in presumed autophagic vacuoles. Before the cell contents escape as an amoeboid mass, the cell wall becomes thinner owing to the peeling off of wall scales and the cell contents round up, with the plasmalemma becoming detached from the cell wall. Various vesicles are closely associated with the plasmalemma.

Observations on the development of the sieve-plate pores of Acer pseudoplatanus have enabled five stages in the differentiation of the cell to be recognized. The functional relationships of the endoplasmic reticulum to the formation of the sieve plate and its close association with other organelles of the cell during development have been described in detail. During differentiation slime bodies are formed and these disaggregate to form the fibrillar material present in the lumen of the mature cell. It is probable that the fibres found in the slime body arise from granular bodies which may consist of ribosomes, seen within the organelles. The granules are thought to form the fibrils which are linear subunits of the fibres of the slime body and the sieve-plate pores. An account is given of the degeneration of the nucleus and the changes in the fine structure of the mitochondria and plastids which accompany the differentiation of a cambial initial into a mature sieve element. The formation of laminar material and other inclusions found in the mature cell is also described. Autoradiographic techniques have been used to show the function of the Golgi bodies and their associated vesicles in the development of the cell wall and also to indicate that some of the callose formed at the sieve plate is deposited after the general formation of wall material. This latter observation lends support to the view that callose is deposited at the sieve plate in response to wounding of the tissue.


1967 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 2103-2108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldo S. Walker ◽  
T. Bisalputra

The fine structure of vesicles which were observed in association with the cell surface of shoot tissue of Helianthus annuus is described. These unit membrane-bound vesicles, which were up to 2 μ in diameter, contained tubules and occurred in several tissues of the shoot. They were present deep within the cytoplasm, as well as in close association with the cell wall, where they fused with the plasmalemma and appeared to empty their contents in the vicinity of the wall. These vesicles are compared to similar structures described by other investigators. The possible relationship of these structures to deposition of cell wall materials is discussed.


1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1873-1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. Fowke ◽  
George Setterfield

Applied auxin caused cells of artichoke tuber slices to expand and deposit significant amounts of new wall material while cells in slices held on water remained essentially inert in both respects. Cells in all physiological treatments showed multivesicular structures at the plasma membrane (plasmalemmasomes, lomasomes), within the cytoplasm and within the central vacuoles. The number of plasmalemmasomes was considerably greater in cells not depositing wall than in cells treated with auxin to stimulate wall synthesis. Multivesicular structures showed no relation to Golgi bodies, which increase in number and apparent activity in response to auxin treatment. It is concluded that plasmalemmasomes are not involved in cell wall deposition. Multivesicular structures in plant cells could have several origins and it is suggested that some may represent artifactual reorganization of plasmalemma and tonoplast membranes during cytological processing. Such reorganization would presumably be sensitive to the physiological state of the tissue.


1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1507-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. Steele ◽  
T. W. Fraser

Complete septa divide the hyphae of Geotrichum candidum into many compartments or cells. Two cell types are readily recognizable, (i) the apical cell, delimited by one septum and the surrounding cell wall, and (ii) the sub- or non-apical cell, delimited by two septa and the surrounding cell wall. Vacuolation of the apical cells is slight compared with that of subapical cells. Apical cells contain many vesicles, some of which are elongated and branched, possibly forming an interconnecting tubular network; other vesicles were observed distributed about the apical zone or aggregated to form an apical body (the Spitzenkörper). Vesicles are also evident in subapical cells, but only in association with developing septa. Golgi bodies were not observed in any cells, their function in vesicle production possibly being taken by a modification of part of the endoplasmic reticulum. Both cell types contained mitochondria with contrasting electron-staining properties. Some stages of mitosis were observed. The nucleus appears to retain its envelope throughout division and exhibits intranuclear microtubules attached to spindle plaques. Septa were formed by a centripetal deposition of wall material, plasmodesmata developing during this process. Another deposition of wall material occurs after the centripetal deposition thus allowing a secondary thickening of the septum to take place.


Author(s):  
A. E. Sowers ◽  
E. L. Thurston

Plant stinging emergences exhibit functional similarities in that they all elicit a pain response upon contact. A stinging emergence consists of an elongated stinging cell and a multicellular pedestal (Fig. 1). A recent ultrastructural investigation of these structures has revealed the ontogeny and morphology of the stinging cells differs in representative genera in the four plant families which possess such structures. A unique feature of the stinging cell of Urtica dioica is the presence of a siliceous cell wall in the apical portion of the cell. This rigid region of the cell wall is responsible for producing the needle-like apparatus which penetrates the skin. The stinging cell differentiates the apical bulbous tip early in development and the cell continues growth by intercalary addition of non-silicified wall material until maturity.The uppermost region of the stinging cell wall is entirely composed of silica (Fig. 2, 3) and upon etching with a 3% solution of HF (5 seconds), the silica is partially removed revealing the wall consisting of individualized silica bodies (Fig. 4, 5).


Plant Methods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus E. Rae ◽  
Vivien Rolland ◽  
Rosemary G. White ◽  
Ulrike Mathesius

Abstract Background The formation of infection threads in the symbiotic infection of rhizobacteria in legumes is a unique, fascinating, and poorly understood process. Infection threads are tubes of cell wall material that transport rhizobacteria from root hair cells to developing nodules in host roots. They form in a type of reverse tip-growth from an inversion of the root hair cell wall, but the mechanism driving this growth is unknown, and the composition of the thread wall remains unclear. High resolution, 3-dimensional imaging of infection threads, and cell wall component specific labelling, would greatly aid in our understanding of the nature and development of these structures. To date, such imaging has not been done, with infection threads typically imaged by GFP-tagged rhizobia within them, or histochemically in thin sections. Results We have developed new methods of imaging infection threads using novel and traditional cell wall fluorescent labels, and laser confocal scanning microscopy. We applied a new Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) stain using rhodamine-123 to the labelling of whole cleared infected roots of Medicago truncatula; which allowed for imaging of infection threads in greater 3D detail than had previously been achieved. By the combination of the above method and a calcofluor-white counter-stain, we also succeeded in labelling infection threads and plant cell walls separately, and have potentially discovered a way in which the infection thread matrix can be visualized. Conclusions Our methods have made the imaging and study of infection threads more effective and informative, and present exciting new opportunities for future research in the area.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 513
Author(s):  
Ewen Silvester ◽  
Annaleise R. Klein ◽  
Kerry L. Whitworth ◽  
Ljiljana Puskar ◽  
Mark J. Tobin

Environmental contextSphagnum moss is a widespread species in peatlands globally and responsible for a large fraction of carbon storage in these systems. We used synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy to characterise the acid-base properties of Sphagnum moss and the conditions under which calcium uptake can occur (essential for plant tissue integrity). The work allows a chemical model for Sphagnum distribution in the landscape to be proposed. AbstractSphagnum is one the major moss types responsible for the deposition of organic soils in peatland systems. The cell walls of this moss have a high proportion of carboxylated polysaccharides (polygalacturonic acids), which act as ion exchangers and are likely to be important for the structural integrity of the cell walls. We used synchrotron light source infrared microspectroscopy to characterise the acid-base and calcium complexation properties of the cell walls of Sphagnum cristatum stems, using freshly sectioned tissue confined in a flowing liquid cell with both normal water and D2O media. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of acid and base forms are consistent with those expected for protonated and deprotonated aliphatic carboxylic acids (such as uronic acids). Spectral deconvolution shows that the dominant aliphatic carboxylic groups in this material behave as a monoprotic acid (pKa=4.97–6.04). The cell wall material shows a high affinity for calcium, with a binding constant (K) in the range 103.9–104.7 (1:1 complex). The chemical complexation model developed here allows for the prediction of the chemical environment (e.g. pH, ionic content) under which Ca2+ uptake can occur, and provides an improved understanding for the observed distribution of Sphagnum in the landscape.


2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1650-1660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Dueñas-Santero ◽  
Ana Belén Martín-Cuadrado ◽  
Thierry Fontaine ◽  
Jean-Paul Latgé ◽  
Francisco del Rey ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In yeast, enzymes with β-glucanase activity are thought to be necessary in morphogenetic events that require controlled hydrolysis of the cell wall. Comparison of the sequence of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae exo-β(1,3)-glucanase Exg1 with the Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome allowed the identification of three genes that were named exg1 + (locus SPBC1105.05), exg2 + (SPAC12B10.11), and exg3 + (SPBC2D10.05). The three proteins have different localizations: Exg1 is secreted to the periplasmic space, Exg2 is a membrane protein, and Exg3 is a cytoplasmic protein. Characterization of the biochemical activity of the proteins indicated that Exg1 and Exg3 are active only against β(1,6)-glucans while no activity was detected for Exg2. Interestingly, Exg1 cleaves the glucans with an endohydrolytic mode of action. exg1 + showed periodic expression during the cell cycle, with a maximum coinciding with the septation process, and its expression was dependent on the transcription factor Sep1. The Exg1 protein localizes to the septum region in a pattern that was different from that of the endo-β(1,3)-glucanase Eng1. Overexpression of Exg2 resulted in an increase in cell wall material at the poles and in the septum, but the putative catalytic activity of the protein was not required for this effect.


Biologia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Mikolajová ◽  
Halina Vargová ◽  
Zora Hanáčková ◽  
Milada Čiamporová

AbstractUltrastructure was investigated along the files of developing epidermal cells in the root tip of a model plant Medicago sativa, in which all rhizodermal cells are potential hair-forming trichoblasts. Differentiation at subcellular level was observed up to the stage of bulge initiation in the trichoblasts. Root hair initiation indicated by the emergence of bulges from trichoblasts was detected at various distances from the root tip and, it was independent of the trichoblast size.During rhizodermal cell differentiation, starch grains accumulated in the plastids. Nuclei located in the central part of the young, meristematic cells moved towards the inner periclinal wall as the central vacuole enlarged. The bulging region of the trichoblasts located opposite the nucleus and was rich in mitochondria, ER, ribosomes, and Golgi bodies, and contained also vesicles enclosing fibrillar material. This material responded positively to phosphotungstic acid, which was used for detection of cell wall polysaccharides. The cell wall thickness within the bulging domain was significantly lower than in other parts of trichoblasts. We suggest that internalization of cell wall polysaccharides occurs within the bulging area, contributing to local thinning of the cell wall and providing a source of osmotically active compounds for maintaining turgor in the trichoblast. Thus, the internalization process might be necessary for root hair outgrowth.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (13) ◽  
pp. 3868-3878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Yepes ◽  
Gudrun Koch ◽  
Andrea Waldvogel ◽  
Juan-Carlos Garcia-Betancur ◽  
Daniel Lopez

ABSTRACTProtein localization has been traditionally explored in unicellular organisms, whose ease of genetic manipulation facilitates molecular characterization. The two rod-shaped bacterial modelsEscherichia coliandBacillus subtilishave been prominently used for this purpose and have displaced other bacteria whose challenges for genetic manipulation have complicated any study of cell biology. Among these bacteria is the spherical pathogenic bacteriumStaphylococcus aureus. In this report, we present a new molecular toolbox that facilitates gene deletion in staphylococci in a 1-step recombination process and additional vectors that facilitate the insertion of diverse reporter fusions into newly identified neutral loci of theS. aureuschromosome. Insertion of the reporters does not add any antibiotic resistance genes to the chromosomes of the resultant strains, thereby making them amenable for further genetic manipulations. We used this toolbox to reconstitute the expression ofmreBinS. aureus, a gene that encodes an actin-like cytoskeletal protein which is absent in coccal cells and is presumably lost during the course of speciation. We observed that inS. aureus, MreB is organized in discrete structures in association with the membrane, leading to an unusual redistribution of the cell wall material. The production of MreB also caused cell enlargement, but it did not revert staphylococcal shape. We present interactions of MreB with key staphylococcal cell wall-related proteins. This work facilitates the useS. aureusas a model system in exploring diverse aspects of cellular microbiology.


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