Abstract
Chloroplast replication in cultured cells of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun NN) was investigated by electron microscopy in comparison with that of green leaves. The structure of chloroplasts in cultured cells changed conspicuously during cell growth especially in photoautotrophic cells. The frequency of dumbbell-shaped chloroplasts (intermediate of chloroplast division) was the maximum (about 23% of total chloroplast) in photoautotrophic cells at 3 days after inoculation, before the cells had started to grow. By contrast, in photomixotrophically cultured cells, the highest frequency of dividing chloroplasts was observed at the early exponential phase (about 7 days after inoculation). The dividing chloroplast was hardly detected in green leaves even at a young stage. The advantages of cultured cells for the study of chloroplast replication and ultrastructural development are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fuerst RA, Soni R, Murray JA, et al. (1996). Modulation of cyclin transcript levels in cultured cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol 112: 1023–1033.
Huesemann W, Barz W (1977). Photoautotrophic growth and photosynthesis in cell suspension culture of Chenopodium rubrum. Physiol Plant 40: 77–81.
Nishida T, Kodama H, Komamine A (1993). The effects of lithium chloride on the induction of proliferation of cells in suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus. J Plant Physiol 142: 184–190.
Possingham JV, Hashimoto H, Oross J (1988). Factors that influence plastid division in higher plant. In: Boffey SA, Lloyd D (eds), Division and segregation of organelles, pp 1–20. Cambridge: University Cambridge Press.
Robertson EJ, Rutherford SM, Leech RM (1996). Characterization of chloroplast division using the Arabidopsis mutant arc 5. Plant Physiol 112: 149–159.
Strepp R, Scholz S, Kruse S, et al. (1998). Plant nuclear gene knockout reveals a role in plastid division for the homolog of the bacterial cell division protein FtsZ, an ancestral tubulin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95: 4368–4373.
Takeda S, Sato F, Yamada Y (1989). Photosynthetic characteristics of photoautotrophically cultured cells of tobacco. Plant Cell Physiol 30: 885–891.
Takeda S, Ida K, Sato F, et al. (1992). Ultrastructure and pigment composition of chloroplasts in photoautotrophically cultured tobacco cells. In: Murata N (ed), Research in photosynthesis, vol I, pp 223–226. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Takeda Y, Hirokawa H, Nagata T (1992). The replication origin of proplastid DNA in cultured cells of tobacco. Mol Gen Genet 232: 191–198.
Whatley JM (1988). Mechanisms and morphology of plastid division. In: Boffey SA, Lloyd D (eds), Division and segregation of organelles, pp 63–84. Cambridge: University Cambridges Press.
Yamada Y, Sato F (1978). The photoautotrophic culture of chlorophyllous cells. Plant Cell Physiol 19: 691–699.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Takeda, S., Kaneko, Y., Matsushima, H. et al. Cultured green cells of tobacco as a useful material for the study of chloroplast replication. Methods Cell Sci 21, 149–154 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009888923913
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009888923913