Redistribution of Membranes during Conidiogeneses and Nuclear Development in Verticillium Dahliae
Verticil1ium dahliae is an asexual fungus that produces unicellular, mononucleate conidia as its primary means of reproduction. For conidial formation, specialized hyphal cells convert into verticillate conidiophores, bearing tapered phialides. A conidium develops from the phialide as a protrusion through the terminal pore. Each phialide has a single nucleus that divides repeatedly during the sequential production of numerous conidia. Nuclear material has been found to migrate into developing conidia just before their separation from the phialide tip (1). The present report suggests a possible mechanism for nuclear division and migration.The ultrastructure of phialides and developing conidia of V. dahliae was examined from a narrow zone 5 mm behind the periphery of colonies grown on potato-carrot-dextrose agar. Cells were fixed with 3l glutaraldehyde in cacodylate buffer (pH 6.8) at room temperature, postfixed in cold 2% OsO4 in the same buffer, and thin sections were counter stained with 2% uranyl acetate and lead citrate.