Although it is recognized that niacin (pyridine-3-carboxylic acid), incorporated as the amide in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) or in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), is a cofactor in hydrogen transfer in numerous enzyme reactions in all organisms studied, virtually no information is available on the effect of this vitamin on a cell at the submicroscopic level. Since mitochondria act as sites for many hydrogen transfer processes, the possible response of mitochondria to niacin treatment is, therefore, of critical interest.Onion bulbs were placed on vials filled with double distilled water in the dark at 25°C. After two days the bulbs and newly developed root system were transferred to vials containing 0.1% niacin. Root tips were collected at ¼, ½, 1, 2, 4, and 8 hr. intervals after treatment. The tissues were fixed in glutaraldehyde-OsO4 as well as in 2% KMnO4 according to standard procedures. In both cases, the tissues were dehydrated in an acetone series and embedded in Reynolds' lead citrate for 3-10 minutes.
