The Endomembranes ofchlamydomonas reinhardii: A comparison of the wildtype with the wall mutants CW 2 and CW 15

Summary Ultrastructural observations on the principal endomembranes (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus) of synchronously growing of wild type and mutant (CW 2, CW 15) strains ofChlamydomonas reinhardii have been carried out. The dictyosomes of the Golgi apparatus in all three cases are highly polar in morphology but lack intercisternal filaments. A clear spatial relationship between dictyosomes and endoplasmic reticulum is seen and a transfer of vesicles from the latter to the former is easily visualized. Coated vesicles invariably appear to be restricted to the trans-pole of the dictyosomes. The endoplasmic reticulum adjacent to the cis pole of dictyosomes is considerably hypertrophied in the case of the wild type, only partially so in the mutant CW 2 but not at all in the mutant CW 15. In the wild type this swelling is most extreme during the period of wall deposition and for several hours afterwards. The results are discussed in relation to the biosynthesis and intracellular transport of, particularly O-glycosidically linked, glycoproteins.