Microtubule organization and morphogenesis in young spores of the mossTetraphis pellucida Hedw

Summary

Microtubule systems appear sequentially at the distal and proximal poles of tetrad members during mid-sporogenesis in the mossTetraphis pellucida Hedw. The distal microtubule system emanates from a microtubule organizing center (MTOC) located between the single plastid and the nucleus. The distal MTOC and associated microtubules, which appear immediately after cytokinesis, are ephemeral and do not appear to be associated with the deposition of exine occuring at the same time. The proximal microtubule system, which appears slightly later than the distal system, is a more stable component of mid-sporogenesis. The proximal MTOC is an irregularly lobed, patelliform aggregation of electron-dense granules located beneath the plasma membrane at the proximal spore pole. Several bundles of microtubules radiate from the proximal MTOC and traverse the cell, enclosing the nucleus in an cone of microtubules. The proximal microtubule system is thought to function in aperture development and organelle migration. The relatively large nucleus migrates a short distance in the small spore early in the tetrad stage and maintains its acentric position at the proximal pole throughout later stages of sporogenesis. The plastid migrates later in the tetrad stage from its meiotic position parallel to the distal surface to a position perpendicular to the distal surface with one tip in close proximity to the proximal MTOC. The proximal microtubule system reaches its maximum development by the end of the tetrad stage and all micrographic evidence of it is lost in the maturation stages of late sporogenesis.