Abstract
The shape and size of freeze-fracture particles of rotary shadowed barley thylakoids were measured and plotted as three-dimensional histograms. It was not possible to resolve discrete sub-populations of particles, distinct in shape or size, on any of the fracture faces examined. It is concluded that much of the variation in particle shape and size was due to plastic deformation during freeze-fracturing, and to shadowing artefacts. The suggestion is made that EFs particles are uniformly sized in vivo. Particle size measurements can be useful, however, in making comparisons between different fracture faces and between corresponding faces of wild-type and mutant membranes, as long as the limitations of the technique are considered. The differences between corresponding faces of wild-type andchlorina-f2 thylakoids were found to be statistically significant for the EFs. ESs and PF faces.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Abbreviations
- EFs:
-
endoplasmic fracture (stacked)
- EFu:
-
endoplasmic fracture (unstacked)
- ES:
-
endoplasmic surface (destacked)
- LHC:
-
light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex
- PFs:
-
protoplasmic face (stacked)
- PFu:
-
protoplasmic face (unstacked)
- ESs:
-
endoplasmic surface (stacked)
References
Armond, P. A. &C. J. Arntzen: Localization and characterization of photosystem II in grana and stroma lamellae. Plant Physiol. 59, 398–404 (1977)
Armond, P. A., L. A. Staehelin &C. J. Arntzen: Spatial relationship of photosystem I. photosystem II, and the light-harvesting complex in chloroplast membranes. J. Cell Biol. 73, 400–418 (1977)
Arntzen, C. J.: Dynamic structural features of chloroplast lamellae. In: «Current Topics in Bioenergetics» (Eds. D. R. Sanadi & L. P. Vernon). Academic Press, N.Y. Vol. VIII, 111–160 (1978)
Arntzen, C. J., R. A. Dilley &F. L. Crane: A comparison of chloroplast membrane surfaces visualized by freeze-etch and negative staining techniques: and ultrastructural characterization of membrane fractions obtained from digitonintreated spinach chloroplasts. J. Cell Biol. 43, 16–31 (1969)
Carter, D. P. &L. A. Staehelin: Proteolysis of chloroplast thylakoid membranes. II. Evidence for the involvement of the light-harvesting chlorophylla/b-protein complex in thylakoid stacking and for effects of magnesium ions on photosystem II-light-harvesting complex aggregates in the absence of membrane stacking. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 200, 374–386 (1980)
Fisher, K. A. &W. Stoeckenius: Freezefractured purple membrane particles: protein content. Science 197, 72–74 (1977)
Giddings, T. H. Jr.,N. W. Withers &L. A. Staehelin: Supramolecular structure of stacked and unstacked regions of the photosynthetic membranes ofProchloron sp., a prokaryote. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 352–356 (1980)
Goodenough, U. W. &L. A. Staehelin: Structural differentiation of stacked and unstacked chloroplast membranes. Freeze-etch electron microscopy of wild-type and mutant strains ofChlamydomonas. J. Cell Biol. 48, 594–619 (1971)
Machold, O., D. J. Simpson &B. L. Møller: Chlorophyll-proteins from wild-type and mutants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Carlsberg Res. Commun. 44, 235–254 (1979)
McDonnel, A. &L. A. Staehelin: Adhesion between liposomes mediated by the chlorophylla/b light-harvesting complex isolated from chloroplast membranes. J. Cell Biol. 84, 40–56 (1980)
Margaritis, L. H., A. Elgsaeter &D. Branton: Rotary replication for freeze-etching. J. Cell Biol. 72, 47–56 (1977)
Miller, K. R.: A particle spanning the photosynthetic membrane. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 54, 159–167 (1976)
Miller, K. R.: Structural organization in the photosynthetic membrane. In: «Chloroplast Development» (Eds. G. Akoyunoglou et al.) Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press, pp. 17–30 (1978)
Miller, K. R., G. J. Miller &K. R. McIntyre: The light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex of photosystem II. Its location in the photosynthetic membrane. J. Cell Biol. 71, 624–638 (1976)
Miller, K. R., G. J. Miller &K. R. McIntyre: Organization of the photosynthetic membrane in maize mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 459, 145–156 (1977)
Moor, H.: Etching and related problems. In: «Freeze-etching techniques and applications». (Eds. E. L. Benedetti & P. Favard). Soc. Francaise Microsc. Electr., Paris, pp. 21–26 (1973)
Mullet, J. E., J. Burke, C. L. Ditto, J. L. Watson &C. J. Arntzen: Integral protein complexes of chloroplast thylakoids. Plant Physiol. 63 suppl., 29 (1979)
Ruben, G. C. &J. N. Telford: Dimensions of cytochromec oxidase in reconstituted liposomes using a gold ball shadow width standard: a freeze-etch electron microscope study. J. Microsc. 118, 191–216 (1980)
Simpson, D. J.: Freeze-fracture studies on barley plastid membranes II. Wild-type chloroplast. Carlsberg Res. Commun. 43, 365–389 (1978)
Simpson, D. J.: Freeze-fracture studies on barley plastid membranes III. Location of the light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein. Carlsberg Res. Commun. 44, 305–336 (1979)
Sleytr, U. B. &A. W. Robards: Plastic deformation during freeze-cleavage: a review. J. Microsc. 110, 1–25 (1977)
Staehelin, L. A.: Analysis and critical evaluation of the information contained in freeze-etch micrographs. In: «Freeze-etching techniques and applications». (Eds. E. L. Benedetti & P. Favard). Soc. Francaise Microsc. Electr., Paris, pp. 113–134 (1973)
Staehelin, L. A.: Reversible particle movements associated with unstacking and restacking of chloroplast membranes in vitro. J. Cell Biol. 71, 136–158 (1976)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Simpson, D.J. Freeze-fracture studies on barley plastid membranes IV. Analysis of freeze-fracture particle size and shape. Carlsberg Res. Commun. 45, 201 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908047
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908047