Vascular differentiation in the root cortex of peas: Premitotic stages of cytoplasmic reactivation

Summary The spatial and temporal organization of the microtubular cytoskeleton at the transitional stage of mitosis and cytokinesis has been studied in the chaetophoralean green algaAphanochaete magna using indirect immunofluorescence light microscopy and transmission electron microscopic analysis of serial sections including computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction. At late mitosis, elaborate asterlike microtubule systems including bundles interconnecting both centriolar regions are present. These systems disappear a the onset of interzonal spindle disintegration. The incipient phycoplast consists of a star-shaped microtubule assemblage projecting from the intact interzonal spindle. It develops strongly at the time of spindle disintegration, later on it becomes compressed by daughter nuclei movement. Cell plate formation is associated with a two-dimensional phycoplast. Phycoplast microtubules remain for a while associated with the completed cross wall but finally they depolymerize. The general occurrence of astral microtubule systems (includingA. magna) is evaluated. The subsequent developmental stages of the phycoplast, formation, maturation and depolymerization, are discussed.Abbreviations IF immunofluorescence - IZS interzonal spindle - MT microtubule - MTOC microtubule organizing center - TEM transmission electron microscopy