Search

A morphometric analysis of root statocytes was performed on seedlings of lentil (Lens culinaris L., cv. Verte du Puy) in order to determine the effects of microgravity on the polarity of these cells. Seedlings were grown: (1) on the ground, (2) in microgravity, (3) on a 1 g centrifuge in space, (4) first in microgravity and then placed on a 1 g centrifuge for 3 h. Dry seeds were hydrated in space (except for the ground control) for 25 h in darkness at 22°C in the Biorack facility developed by the European Space Agency. At the end of the experiment, the seedlings were photographed and fixed in glutaraldehyde in the Biorack glove box. The average shape of the statocytes and the location of endoplasmic reticulum, amyloplasts and nucleus in the cells were analysed in the four samples. By considering the cell shape. it appears that the morphology of the statocytes on the ground was different from that observed in the space samples. Cell polarity was similar in microgravity and in the centrifuged samples except for the distribution of the amyloplasts. These organelles were not distributed at random in near zero gravity, and they were more numerous in the proximal than in the distal half. Moreover, the statoliths were more voluminous in microgravity than in the centrifuged samples. The nucleus was closer to the cell center in the statocytes of roots grown in microgravity than in statocytes of roots grown in microgravity and then placed on the I g centrifuge for 3 h. It is hypothesized that the nucleus is attached to the cell periphery and that its location is dependent upon gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth and graviresponsiveness of roots were investigated in lentil seedlings (Lens culinaris L. cv. Verte du Puy) grown (1) in microgravity, (2) on a 1 g centrifuge in space, (3) in microgravity and then placed on the 1 g centrifuge for 3 h, (4) on the ground. Dry seeds were hydrated in space (except for the ground control) and incubated for 25 h at 22°C in darkness. At the end of the experiment, the seedlings were photographed and fixed in glutaraldehyde in a Biorack glove box. Root length was similar for seedlings grown in space and for the ground and the 1 g centrifuge controls. The direction of root growth in the microgravity sample deviated strongly from the initial orientation of the roots of the dry seeds. This deviation could be due to spontaneous curvatures similar to those observed on clinostats. When lentil seedlings were first grown in microgravity for 25 h and then placed on the 1 g centrifuge for 3 h, their roots bent strongly under the effect of the centrifugal acceleration. The amplitude of root curvature on the centrifuge was not significantly different from that observed on ground controls growing in the vertical position and placed in the horizontal position for 3 h. The gravisensitivity of statocytes differentiated in microgravity was similar to that of statocytes differentiated on earth. There were no qualitative differences in the ultrastructural features of the gravisensing cells in microgravity and in the 1 g centrifuge and ground controls. However, the distribution of statoliths in the gravisensing cells was different in microgravity: most of them were observed in the proximal part of these cells. Thus, these organelles were not distributed at random, which is in contradiction with results obtained with clinostats. The distal complex of endoplasmic reticulum in the statocytes was not in contact with the amyloplasts. Contact and pressure of amyloplasts on the tubules were not prerequisites for gravisensing. The results obtained are not in agreement with the hypothesis that the distal endoplasmic reticulum would be the transducer of the action of the statoliths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3H-IAA was applied to the tips of intact wheat coleoptiles (Triticum sativum L., var. Capitole) for 30, 60 or 120 min. The quantity of label per segment (1.5 mm), determined by liquid scintillation counting, was a decreasing exponential function of distance from the source of radioactivity. Chromatographic analysis showed that 3H-IAA was transported more rapidly than its tritiated metabolites. Autoradiographs of semi-thin sections were performed after application of 3H-IAA during 2 h and after treatment by DCC [1- (3-dimethyl-aminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride]. The quantity of label per tissue and per cell was determined at 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 mm from the tip. Tritiated IAA was estimated to account for 70 to 100% of the label, depending on the distance from the tip. The amount of auxin transported basipetally was greatest in the parenchyma, with lesser amounts transported in the inner and outer epidermis. Tissues of the vascular bundles did not contain more than 10% of total radioactivity of the coleoptile sections. The rate of auxin transport was greater in xylem and parenchyma than in epidermis and bundle sheath. Movement was very slow in procambium and phloem. In parenchyma and epidermis the quantity of label per cell as a function of distance from the tip agreed with the model of exponential regression. These results support the theory of polar diffusion of auxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two methods of fixation of 3H‐IAA on macromolecules were studied in order to obtain autoradiographs of semi‐thin sections after a routine treatment for electron microscopy. Glutaraldehyde and DCC [1‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)‐3‐ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride] could be used to obtain in vitro fixation of auxin on proteins. However, the rate of reaction with DCC was greater, so that the method using this compound is preferable. A cytological study was performed on wheat coleoptiles (Triticum sativum L., var. Capitole) after application of 3H‐IAA to their tips. Almost no radioactivity was found in the phloem elements while the procambium and the vessels were intensively labelled. In parenchyma cells, cell walls, nuclei and intercellular spaces contained a large amount of 3H‐IAA. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that auxin is transported, from cell to cell, via the apoplast. The extraction of auxin by methanol before cytological fixation indicates that this hormone is not bound (by a covalent binding) to cellular structures, except perhaps in the secondary wall of vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]