Live Cell Imaging During Germination Reveals Dynamic Tubular Structures Derived from Protein Storage Vacuoles of Barley Aleurone Cells

Author(s)
Verena Ibl, Eva Stoger
Abstract

The germination of cereal seeds is a rapid developmental process in which the endomembrane system undergoes a series of dynamic morphological changes to mobilize storage compounds. The changing ultrastructure of protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) in the cells of the aleurone layer has been investigated in the past, but generally this involved inferences drawn from static pictures representing different developmental stages. We used live cell imaging in transgenic barley plants expressing a TIP3-GFP fusion protein as a fluorescent PSV marker to follow in real time the spatially and temporally regulated remodeling and reshaping of PSVs during germination. During late-stage germination, we observed thin, tubular structures extending from PSVs in an actin-dependent manner. No extensions were detected following the disruption of actin microfilaments, while microtubules did not appear to be involved in the process. The previously-undetected tubular PSV structures were characterized by complex movements, fusion events and a dynamic morphology. Their function during germination remains unknown, but might be related to the transport of solutes and metabolites.

Organisation(s)
External organisation(s)
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Journal
Plants
Volume
3
Pages
442-457
No. of pages
16
ISSN
2223-7747
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants3030442
Publication date
09-2014
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
106052 Cell biology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Plant Science, Ecology
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/live-cell-imaging-during-germination-reveals-dynamic-tubular-structures-derived-from-protein-storage-vacuoles-of-barley-aleurone-cells(b6e27299-68c3-4760-b20f-fce0057c59e0).html