ARTICLE

ELECTRON-OPAQUE FIBRILS AND GRANULES IN AND BETWEEN THE CELL WALLS OF HIGHER PLANTS

Gary G. Leppard ¹ and J. Ross Colvin ¹

¹ From the Biochemistry Laboratory, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

Dr. Leppard's present address is the Water Science Sub-division, Inland Waters Branch, Department of the Environment Ottawa, Canada.

The components of higher-plant cell walls which become electron-opaque after staining with ruthenium-osmium were studied by electron microscopy. A fibrillar material which absorbs this stain is a major wall constituent in the root epidermal cells of carrot and morning glory. In both form and size, these fibrils resemble those found on the surface of suspension-cultured cells of the same species Some cells of woody species show an irregular distribution of electron-opaque material in the cell wall matrix and middle lamella. This material, which has an amorphous appearance with many electron stains, is shown by ruthenium-osmium staining to be an aggregate of discrete granules, 150–220 A in diameter. These observations are not consistent with the concept of the cell wall matrix and middle lamella as an amorphous, uniform gel

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Leppard, G. G. (1974). Rhizoplane Fibrils in Wheat: Demonstration and Derivation. Science 185: 1066-1067 [Abstract]  

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