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Arrays of plasma-membrane “rosettes” involved in cellulose microfibril formation of Spirogyra

Planta volume 159, pages 347–356 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

The cell-wall structure and plasma-membrane particle arrangement during cell wall formation of the filamentous chlorophycean alga Spirogyra sp. was investigated with the freeze-fracture technique. The cell wall consists of a thick outer slime layer and a multilayered inner wall with ribbon-like microfibrils. This inner wall shows three differing orientations of microfibrils: random orientation on its outside, followed by axial bundles of parallel microfibrils, and several internal layers of bands of mostly five to six parallel associated microfibrils with transverse to oblique orientation. The extraplasmatic fracture face of the plasma membrane shows microfibril imprints, relatively few particles, and “terminal complexes” arranged in a hexagonal package at the end of the imprint of a microfibril band. The plasmatic fracture face of the plasma membrane is rich in particles. In places, it reveals hexagonal arrays of “rosettes”. These rosettes are best demonstrable with the double-replica technique. These findings on rosette arrays of the zygnematacean alga Spirogyra are compared in detail with the published data on the desmidiacean algae Micrasterias and Closterium.

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Abbreviations

EF:

Extra plasmaticfracture face

PF:

Plasmatic fracture face

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  1. Zellenlehre, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, D-6900, Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany

    Werner Herth

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  1. Werner Herth
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Herth, W. Arrays of plasma-membrane “rosettes” involved in cellulose microfibril formation of Spirogyra . Planta 159, 347–356 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393174

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393174

Key words

  • Cellulose microfibril formation
  • Plasma membrane rosettes
  • Spirogyra (freeze fracture)