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Observations on structure and differentiation in plasmodesmata

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Summary

The fine structure of plasmodesmata in a number of plant tissues has been examined following fixation in glutaraldehyde. The structure of plasmodesmata is not constant. Variations occur between species, tissues and between different cellular situations in a single tissue. The nature of these variations is described and related to current theories of the formation and function of plasmodesmata. Evidence is presented that the young cell wall after division contains a large number of plasmodesmata, probably functionally and structurally identical, and that the development process involves characteristic modifications both to the distribution of plasmodesmata within the wall, and to the structure of individual plasmodesmata. The probable importance of the endoplasmic reticulum is stressed in relation to the formation and functioning of plasmodesmata.

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  1. J. Burgess

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England

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    1. J. Burgess
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    Burgess, J. Observations on structure and differentiation in plasmodesmata. Protoplasma 73, 83–95 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01286414

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01286414

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