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Microscopic Characterization of a Sperm Mutant Line of the Fern Ceratopteris Richardii

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Kelly A. Davidson
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL62901
Leslie G. Hickok
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL62901
Karen S. Renzaglia
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL62901
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Extract

Mature sperm cells of Ceratopteris richardii are spiraled over three revolutions and contain a locomotory apparatus with approximately 70 flagella attached at the cell anterior (Fig. 1). Abundant organelles are dispersed along the inner surface of an elongated, coiled nucleus (Figs. 1, 3, 8). The cytoskeleton comprises a network of microfilaments that encases the nucleus (Fig. 6) and two distinct microtubule arrays: a microtubular ribbon (spline) and flagella with anchoring basal bodies (Fig. 3). This study uses light, fluorescence, transmission electron (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize cell organization in a motility impaired sperm mutant line of Ceratopteris. Because motility mutations likely involve the cytoskeleton, emphasis was placed on observing microtubule and actin arrays in the mutant compared to wild-type sperm cells. Protocols follow Hoffman and Vaughn for TEM and Schmitt and Renzaglia for SEM. Microfilament arrays in relation to the nucleus were examined by rhodamine-phalloidin and DAPI fluorescence.

Type
Light and Electron Microscopic Techniques for the Study of Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Host Plants
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

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6. This research was supported by undergraduate research scholarships from the Microscopy Society of America and Illinois Academy of Science, an SIU-C Chancellor's Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Award, and NSF grant DEB-9527735 (Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program).Google Scholar