Ultrastructure of the fertilized embryo sac in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum (Viscaceae) and development of the caecum

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia M Ross ◽  
Michael J Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Cell Walls ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Central Cell ◽  
Filiform Apparatus ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Primary Endosperm Nucleus ◽  
Complex Cells ◽  
Arceuthobium Americanum ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light Fluorescence

Post-fertilization changes in the seven-celled embryo sac of the parasitic angiosperm Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex Engelm. were investigated with light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy. Two embryo sacs, of which only one is fertilized, are found within the reduced ategmic ovule (the placental–nucellar complex). All cells of the fertilized embryo sac developed thickened cellulosic and (or) hemicellulosic bounding walls and, aside from the degenerative synergid, acquired ultrastructure reflective of metabolically active cells. The filiform apparatus became thickened in the persistent synergid, and a similar structure developed in the antipodals. Unlike the changes observed in the zygote and central cell, those in the persistent synergid and antipodals were unusual, as these cells regularly degenerate after fertilization in a typical angiosperm; therefore, in A. americanum, they likely play a role in providing nutrition to the zygote and (or) central cell. A pouch-like outgrowth (caecum) initiated from the central cell near the primary endosperm nucleus and, after vacuolar expansion and intercellular growth, reached the base of the placental–nucellar complex in three days. The observation of mitochondria clusters within the central cell, caecum, and adjacent placental–nucellar complex cells suggests the caecum functions in embryo sac expansion and haustorial nutrient absorption.Key words: Arceuthobium, caecum, cell walls, fertilized embryo sac, mistletoe, ultrastructure.

Development of the unfertilized embryo sac and pollen tubes in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum (Viscaceae)

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (11) ◽  
pp. 1566-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia M Ross ◽  
Michael J Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Pollen Tubes ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Egg Cell ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Egg Apparatus ◽  
Arceuthobium Americanum ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light Fluorescence ◽  
Functional Megaspore

Megasporogenesis, embryo sac development, and pollen tubes in Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex Engelm. were investigated with light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy. The orthotropous ovular structure of A. americanum lacked integuments and possessed a nucellus that was largely continuous with and indistinguishable from the placenta; we coined this structure the placental–nucellar complex (PNC). Two megasporocytes became evident in the tenuinucellate PNC by mid-April, and had undergone bisporic megasporogenesis by mid-May. The upper cell from each dyad (distal to the base of the PNC) became a functional megaspore, although only one would develop into a seven-celled embryo sac. Like typical angiosperm embryo sacs, that of A. americanum possessed an egg cell having the ultrastructure reflective of a quiescent cell, and lacked cellulosic and (or) hemicellulosic wall material between the egg apparatus and central cell. However, the egg apparatus arose at the lower embryo sac pole, not at the upper as expected for an orthotropous ovule. A hypothetical model for the development of Arceuthobium ovules is the ancestral fusion and subsequent reduction of two anatropous ovules to form two embryo sacs within the PNC, of which only one completes development. The synergids have no role in pollen tube guidance, as tubes could be seen below each functional megaspore prior to megagametogenesis.Key words: Arceuthobium, embryo sac, megasporogenesis, mistletoe, pollen tubes, ultrastructure.

Ultrastructural observations of the mature megagametophyte and the fertilization in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruilin You ◽  
William A. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Pollen Tube ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Mature Embryo ◽  
Central Cell ◽  
The Other ◽  
Egg Cell ◽  
Filiform Apparatus ◽  
Egg Apparatus

The mature embryo sac of wheat contains an egg apparatus composed of an egg cell and two synergids at the micropylar end, a central cell with two large polar nuclei in the middle, and a mass of 20 to 30 antipodals at the chalazal end. A comparison was made of the ultrastructural features of the various cells of the embryo sac. The features included the position of the nucleus and vacuoles, the number, structure, and distribution of organelles, and the extent of the cell walls surrounding each cell. The pollen tube enters one synergid through the filiform apparatus from the micropyle. The penetration and discharge of the pollen tube causes the further degeneration of that synergid, which had already undergone changes before pollination. The second synergid does not change further in appearance following the penetration of the first by the pollen-altered tube. Half an hour after pollination at 20–25 °C, two male nuclei are seen in the cytoplasm of the egg and the central cell. At about 1 h after pollination, one sperm has made contact with the egg nucleus, while the other sperm is fusing with one of the polar nuclei.

Fine structure of megagametophyte development in Zea mays

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1093-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Aniline Blue ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Lytic Vacuole ◽  
Light Fluorescence ◽  
Functional Megaspore

Polygonum-type embryo sac development was examined in Zea mays with light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy. Megasporocyte polarity is expressed in organelle distribution, aniline blue wall fluorescence, and chalazal location of plasmodesmata. In the meiotic cytoplasm concurrent with the sporophyte–gametophyte transition, ribosome concentrations are low, and membrane-bound organelles are simplified. The functional megaspore is the largest and most chalazal cell of the resultant triad or tetrad. Aniline blue fluorescence is intense in nonfunctional megaspore walls, whereas in the functional megaspore intensity decreases from the chalazal end to that in nucellar walls. Throughout functional megaspore and two-nucleate megagametophyte, ribosome concentrations, organelle numbers, and structural complexity increase. The transition from vegetative to reproductive gametophytic growth presumably follows this biosynthetic period. In the four-nucleate stage, a second phase of mitochondrial simplification coincides with the formation of an extensive lytic vacuole containing evidence of possible organelle and cytoplasmic membrane incorporation. Near the close of intensive lytic activity, compartmentalization of lytic areas contributes to creating a prominent vacuole in the central cell as synergids, egg, and antipodals differentiate.

Reproductive development in two species of Darwinia Rudge (Myrtaceae)

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Reproductive Development ◽  
Outer Zone ◽  
Mature Embryo ◽  
Globular Embryo ◽  
Primary Endosperm Nucleus ◽  
Oil Glands ◽  
Polygonum Type ◽  
History Of

In Darwinia the floral parts are differentiated in a "calyx-orolla-gynoeciumandroecium" sequence. In individual buds stages of microsporogenesis markedly precede corresponding stages of megasporogenesis. The anther is tetrasporangiate with all sporangia lying in one plane. The secretory tapetum is one- to three-layered within the same microsporangium and a large number of Ubisch bodies are formed. The anthers dehisce by minute lateral pores and an ingenious mechanism helps disperse the twocelled pollen grains. A basal placenta in the single loculus of the ovary bears four ovules in D. micropetala and two in D. fascicularis. In both species, however, only one ovule is functional after fertilization. The fully grown ovules are anatropous, crassinucellar, and bitegmic; the inner integument forms the micropyle. The parietal tissue is most massive at the completion of megasporogenesis but is progressively destroyed later. The embryo sac follows the Polygonum type of developnlent and when mature is five-nucleate, the three antipodals being ephemeral. Following fertilization, the primary endosperm nucleus divides before the zygote. Subsequent nuclear divisions in the endosperm mother cell are synchronous and lead to a free-nuclear endosperm which becomes secondarily cellular, starting from the micropylar end at the time the globular embryo assumes an elongated shape. Embryogeny is irregular and the mature embryo is straight with a massive radicle and a hypocotyl which terminates in two barely recognizable cotyledons. Sometimes the minute cotyledons are borne on a narrow neck-like extension of the hypocotyl. A suspensor is absent. Both integuments are represented in the seed coat and only the outer layer of the outer and the inner layer of the inner integuments, with their thick-walled tanniniferous cells, remain in the fully grown seed. The ovary wall is demarcated into an outer zone containing oil glands surrounded by cells containing a tannin-like substance and an inner zone of spongy parenchyma. In the fruit this spongy zone breaks down completely but the outer zone is retained. The two species of Darwinia, while closely resembling each other in their embryology, differ significantly from other Myrtaceae. However, no taxonomic conclusions are drawn at this stage, pending enquiry into the life history of other members of the tribe Chamaelaucieae.

Early events in the embryo sac after intraspecific and interspecific pollinations in Rhododendron kawakamii and R. retusum

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Kaul ◽  
J. L. Rouse ◽  
E. G. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Pollen Tubes ◽  
Interspecific Crosses ◽  
Primary Endosperm Nucleus ◽  
Kalmia Latifolia ◽  
Taxonomic Grouping ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Normal Fertilization

Early events in the embryo sac of Rhododendron kawakamii and R. retusum have been studied after compatible self-pollinations and eight interspecific crosses, using sectioned ovaries, pistil squashes, and seed-set data. Ovules of Rhododendron kawakamii and R. retusum are anatropous, unitegmic, and tenuinucellate, with a typical eight-nucleate, seven-celled embryo sac. Fertilization normally occurs 4–5 days after pollination. The zygote lays down a callose wall but remains undivided during the first 13–15 days after pollination. The primary endosperm nucleus divides soon after fertilization, and development is cellular ab initio. Crosses of R. kawakamii (♂) with R. santapaui and R. retusum and crosses of R. retusum (♂) with R. kawakamii, R. santapaui, R. ovatum, and R. tashiroi showed apparently normal fertilization in a majority of ovules entered by pollen tubes. In crosses of R. kawakamii (♂) with R. quadrasianum and Kalmia latifolia entry of pollen tubes into ovules was delayed and frequently abnormal. Apart from compatible self-pollinations of R. kawakamii an R. retusum, only the cross of R. kawakamii (♂) with R. santapaui produced healthy seedlings. Of the remaining seven interspecific crosses only three showed significant embryo development in control pistils left to mature in situ. Similarities and differences in the breeding behaviour of R. kawakamii and R. retusum are discussed with reference to their taxonomic grouping within subsection Pseudovireya.

The morphology of grain abscission in Zizania aquatica

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (21) ◽  
pp. 2269-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. B. Hanten ◽  
G. E. Ahlgren ◽  
J. B. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Wild Rice ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Vascular Tissue ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Middle Lamella ◽  
Abscission Zone ◽  
Rice Grains ◽  
Zizania Aquatica ◽  
Parenchyma Cells ◽  
Anatomical Evidence

The anatomical development of the abscission zone in grains of Zizania aquatica L. was correlated with development of the embryo. The abscission zone is well developed when the embryo sac is mature. Soon after pollination, the first anatomical evidence of abscission appears as plasmolysis of the separation layer parenchyma cells. This is followed by separation of the layers by dissolution of the middle lamella and fragmentation of cell walls. Persistence of intact vascular tissue and presence of a surrounding cone-shaped mass of lignified cells may be involved in abscission of wild rice grains.

scholarly journals Effects of Lodgepole Pine Dwarf Mistletoe, Arceuthobium americanum, on Jack Pine, Pinus banksiana, Growth in Manitoba

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock Epp ◽  
Jacques C. Tardif
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Tree Form ◽  
Arceuthobium Americanum ◽  
Pine Trees

The Lodgepole Pine Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex Engelm.) is an important pathogen of Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). Dwarf Mistletoe alters tree form, suppresses growth, and reduces volume and overall wood quality of its host. Stem analysis and a 3-parameter logistic regression model were used to compare the growth of heavily and lightly to non infected Jack Pine trees. At the time of sampling, no significant reduction in diameter at breast height and basal area were observed in heavily infected trees. However, a significant reduction in height and volume and an increase in taper were observed in heavily infected trees. Growth models predicted a 21.1% lower basal area, 23.4% lower height and 42.1% lower volume by age 60 for the high infection group.

Development of a Heat-Inducible Gene Expression System Using Female Gametophytes of Arabidopsis thaliana

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 2564-2572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dukhyun Hwang ◽  
Satomi Wada ◽  
Azusa Takahashi ◽  
Hiroko Urawa ◽  
Yasuhiro Kamei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Gene Induction ◽  
Central Cell ◽  
Egg Cell ◽  
Dominant Negative Mutant ◽  
Nucleate Cell ◽  
Recombination System ◽  
Induction System

Abstract Female gametophyte (FG) is crucial for reproduction in flowering plants. Arabidopsis thaliana produces Polygonum-type FGs, which consist of an egg cell, two synergid cells, three antipodal cells and a central cell. Egg cell and central cell are the two female gametes that give rise to the embryo and surrounding endosperm, respectively, after fertilization. During the development of a FG, a single megaspore produced by meiosis undergoes three rounds of mitosis to produce an eight-nucleate cell. A seven-celled FG is formed after cellularization. The central cell initially contains two polar nuclei that fuse during female gametogenesis to form the secondary nucleus. In this study, we developed a gene induction system for analyzing the functions of various genes in developing Arabidopsis FGs. This system allows transgene expression in developing FGs using the heat-inducible Cre-loxP recombination system and FG-specific embryo sac 2 (ES2) promoter. Efficient gene induction was achieved in FGs by incubating flower buds and isolated pistils at 35�C for short periods of time (1–5 min). Gene induction was also induced in developing FGs by heat treatment of isolated ovules using the infrared laser-evoked gene operator (IR-LEGO) system. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of Sad1/UNC84 (SUN) proteins in developing FGs using the gene induction system developed in this study caused defects in polar nuclear fusion, indicating the roles of SUN proteins in this process. This strategy represents a new tool for analyzing the functions of genes in FG development and FG functions.

Symplastic communication between the central cell and the egg apparatus cells in the embryo sac of Torenia fournieri Lind. before and during fertilization

Planta ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 211 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Zhen Han ◽  
Bing-Quan Huang ◽  
Sze-Yong Zee ◽  
Ming Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Central Cell ◽  
Torenia Fournieri ◽  
Egg Apparatus
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