Intracellular localisation of phytochrome in oat coleoptiles by electron microscopy

Abstract

The intracellular localisation of phytochrome in oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Garry Oat) coleoptiles was analysed by electron microscopy. Serial ultrathin sections of resin-embedded material were indirectly immunolabeled with polyclonal antibodies against phytochrome together with a gold-coupled second antibody. The limits of detectability of sequestered areas of phytochrome (SAPs) were analysed as a function of light pretreatments and amounts of the far-red absorbing form of phytochrome (Pfr) established. In 5-d-old dark-grownAvena coleoptiles SAPs were not detectable if less than 13 units of Pfr — compared with 100 units total phytochrome of 5-d-old dark-grown seedlings — were established by a red light pulse. In other sets of experiments, seedlings were preirradiated either with a non-saturating red light pulse to allow destruction to occur or with a saturating red followed by a far-red light pulse to induce first SAP formation and then its disaggregation. These preirradiations resulted in an increase of the limit of detectability of SAP formation after a second red light pulse to 38–41 and 19–23 units Pfr, respectively. We conclude that with respect to Pfr-induced SAP formation an adaptation process exists and that our data indicate that SAP formation is not a simple self-aggregation of newly formed Pfr.