Structural organization of the rhizobial root nodule of alfalfa

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Tu

The structural organization of mature root nodules of Medicago saliva L. is studied by thin-sectioning, scanning, and freeze-fracturing techniques. The nodules are club-shaped, with their meristematic tissue near the tip of each nodule. The bacteroidal cells situated closer to the tip area are young, whereas those located closer to the neck where the nodule and root join are older. The shape of the bacteroids changes as they grow older. The bacteroids evolve gradually from uniform long-rod or long-club shapes into short-club, short-rod. pear-shaped, ellipsoid, spherical, and Y-shapes, which in turn evolve into pear and spherical shapes. During the early part of the bacteroid's life, the bacteroid is enclosed in a membrane envelope. In older bacteroidal cells, it was observed that a few membrane envelopes contained more than one bacteroid. In senescent bacteroidal cells, the membrane envelopes have disintegrated and dissolved. The plasma membranes of mature bacteroidal cells have high endo- and exo-cytotic activities relative to nonrhizobial-infected root nodule cells or newly infected bacteroidal cells. Endo- and exo-cytotic activities are also evident on the membrane envelopes of bacteroids. The plasma membrane of the bacteroids appears to have no endo- and exo-cytotic activity, for the vesicle-like structures observed on the plasma membrane in thin-sectioning and freeze-fracturing preparations are in fact constricted invaginations of the plasma membrane of the bacteroids, somewhat resembling the cristae of mitochondria.

1985 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Blumwald ◽  
Marc G. Fortin ◽  
Philip A. Rea ◽  
Desh Pal S. Verma ◽  
Ronald J. Poole

1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 919-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
D P Verma ◽  
V Kazazian ◽  
V Zogbi ◽  
A K Bal

The membrane envelope enclosing the bacteroids in soybean root nodules is shown by ultrastructural and biochemical studies to be derived from, and to retain the characteristics of, the host cell plasma membrane. During the early stages of the infection process, which occurs through an invagination, Rhizobium becomes surrounded by the host cell wall and plasma membrane, forming the infection thread. The cell wall of the infection thread is degraded by cellulolytic enzyme(s), leaving behind the enclosed plasma membrane, the membrane envelope. Cellulase activity in young nodules increases two- to threefold as compared to uninfected roots, and this activity is localized in the cell wall matrix of the infection threads. Membrane envelopes were isolated by first preparing bacteroids enclosed in the envelopes on a discontinuous sucrose gradient followed by passage through a hypodermic needle, which released the bacteroids from the membranes. This membrane then sedimented at the interface of 34--45% sucrose (mean density of 1.14 g/cm3). Membranes were characterized by phosphotungstic acid (PTA)-chromic acid staining. ATPase activity, and localization, sensitivity to nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40 (NP-40) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis. These analyses revealed a close similarity between plasma membrane and the membrane envelope. Incorporation of radioactive amino acids into the membrane envelope proteins was sensitive to cycloheximide, suggesting that the biosynthesis of these proteins is primarily under host-cell control. No immunoreactive material to leghemoglobin antibodies was found inside or associated with the isolated bacteroids enclosed in the membrane envelope, and its location is confined to the host cell cytoplasmic matrix.


Author(s):  
J.M. Robinson ◽  
J.M Oliver

Specialized regions of plasma membranes displaying lateral heterogeneity are the focus of this Symposium. Specialized membrane domains are known for certain cell types such as differentiated epithelial cells where lateral heterogeneity in lipids and proteins exists between the apical and basolateral portions of the plasma membrane. Lateral heterogeneity and the presence of microdomains in membranes that are uniform in appearance have been more difficult to establish. Nonetheless a number of studies have provided evidence for membrane microdomains and indicated a functional importance for these structures.This symposium will focus on the use of various imaging modalities and related approaches to define membrane microdomains in a number of cell types. The importance of existing as well as emerging imaging technologies for use in the elucidation of membrane microdomains will be highlighted. The organization of membrane microdomains in terms of dimensions and spatial distribution is of considerable interest and will be addressed in this Symposium.


Author(s):  
N. Seki ◽  
Y. Toyama ◽  
T. Nagano

It is believed that i ntramembra.nous sterols play an essential role in membrane stability and permeability. To investigate the distribution changes of sterols in sperm membrane during epididymal maturation and capacitation, filipin has been used as a cytochemical probe for the detection for membrane sterols. Using this technique in combination with freeze fracturing, we examined the boar spermatozoa under various physiological conditions.The spermatozoa were collected from: 1) caput, corpus and cauda epididymides, 2) sperm rich fraction of ejaculates, and 3)the uterus 2hr after natural coition. They were fixed with 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.05M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.4), and treated with the filipin solution (final concentration : 0.02.0.05%) for 24hr at 4°C with constant agitation. After the filipin treatment, replicas were made by conventional freeze-fracture technique. The density of filipin-sterol complexes (FSCs) was determined in the E face of the plasma membrane of head regions.


Author(s):  
Nikolas K. Teiwes ◽  
Ingo Mey ◽  
Phila C. Baumann ◽  
Lena Strieker ◽  
Ulla Unkelbach ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuta Takahashi ◽  
Kaori Shiojiri ◽  
Akira Yamawo

AbstractAboveground communication between plants is well known to change defense traits in leaves, but its effects on belowground plant traits and soil characteristics have not been elucidated. We hypothesized that aboveground plant-to-plant communication reduces root nodule symbiosis via induction of bactericidal chemical defense substances and changes the soil nutrient environment. Soybean plants were exposed to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from damaged shoots of Solidago canadensis var. scabra, and leaf defense traits (total phenolics, saponins), root saponins, and root nodule symbiosis traits (number and biomass of root nodules) were measured. Soil C/N ratios and mineral concentrations were also measured to estimate the effects of resource uptake by the plants. We found that total phenolics were not affected. However, plants that received VOCs had higher saponin concentrations in both leaves and roots, and fewer root nodules than untreated plants. Although the concentrations of soil minerals did not differ between treatments, soil C/N ratio was significantly higher in the soil of communicated plants. Thus, the aboveground plant-to-plant communication led to reductions in root nodule symbiosis and soil nutrient concentrations. Our results suggest that there are broader effects of induced chemical defenses in aboveground plant organs upon belowground microbial interactions and soil nutrients, and emphasize that plant response based on plant-to-plant communications are a bridge between above- and below-ground ecosystems.


1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 837-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Messing ◽  
A Stieber ◽  
N K Gonatas

The resolution of indirect immunoperoxidase methods for localizing antigens on the surface of plasma membranes of cultured cells was tested using dissociated monolayer cultures of ciliary ganglion neurons prelabeled with cationic ferritin. Clusters of ferritin were produced on the cell surface by warming the cells to 37 degrees C after the ferritin, rabbit anti-ferritin, and goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin coupled to horseradish peroxidase had all been applied. Intense 3,3'-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) staining was limited to the regions immediately surrounding the ferritin clusters. The lateral spread of the DAB reaction product beyond the outer ferritin particles in each cluster averaged 54-81 nm in four experiments. A second type of increased density, coinciding with the thickness of the plasma membrane, was also seen. These stained plasma membranes extended 161-339 nm from the ferritin clusters.


1986 ◽  
Vol 239 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
W D Sweet ◽  
F Schroeder

The functional consequences of the differences in lipid composition and structure between the two leaflets of the plasma membrane were investigated. Fluorescence of 1,6-diphenylhexa-1,3,5-triene(DPH), quenching, and differential polarized phase fluorimetry demonstrated selective fluidization by local anaesthetics of individual leaflets in isolated LM-cell plasma membranes. As measured by decreased limiting anisotropy of DPH fluorescence, cationic (prilocaine) and anionic (phenobarbital and pentobarbital) amphipaths preferentially fluidized the cytofacial and exofacial leaflets respectively. Unlike prilocaine, procaine, also a cation, fluidized both leaflets of these membranes equally. Pentobarbital stimulated 5′-nucleotidase between 0.1 and 5 mM and inhibited at higher concentrations, whereas phenobarbital only inhibited, at higher concentrations. Cationic drugs were ineffective. Two maxima of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activation were obtained with both anionic drugs. Only one activation maximum was obtained with both cationic drugs. The maximum in activity below 1 mM for all four drugs clustered about a single limiting anisotropy value in the cytofacial leaflet, whereas there was no correlation between activity and limiting anisotropy in the exofacial leaflets. Therefore, although phenobarbital and pentobarbital below 1 mM fluidized the exofacial leaflet more than the cytofacial leaflet, the smaller fluidization in the cytofacial leaflet was functionally significant for (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Mg2+-ATPase was stimulated at 1 mM-phenobarbital, unaffected by pentobarbital and slightly stimulated by both cationic drugs at concentrations fluidizing both leaflets. Thus the activity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was highly sensitive to selective fluidization of the leaflet containing its active site, whereas the other enzymes examined were little affected by fluidization of either leaflet.


1976 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Luzio ◽  
A C Newby ◽  
C N Hales

1. A rapid method for the isolation of hormonally sensitive rat fat-cell plasma membranes was developed by using immunological techniques. 2. Rabbit anti-(rat erythrocyte) sera were raised and shown to cross-react with isolated rat fat-cells. 3. Isolated rat fat-cells were coated with rabbit anti-(rat erythrocyte) antibodies, homogenized and the homogenate made to react with an immunoadsorbent prepared by covalently coupling donkey anti-(rabbit globulin) antibodies to aminocellulose. Uptake of plasma membrane on to the immunoadsorbent was monitored by assaying the enzymes adenylate cyclase and 5′-nucleotidase and an immunological marker consisting of a 125I-labelled anti-(immunoglobulin G)-anti-cell antibody complex bound to the cells before fractionation. Contamination of the plasma-membrane preparation by other subcellular fractions was also investigated. 4. By using this technique, a method was developed allowing 25-40% recovery of plasma membrane from fat-cell homogenates within 30 min of homogenization. 5. Adenylate cyclase in the isolated plasma-membrane preparation was stimulated by 5 μm-adrenaline.


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