OBSERVATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE GOLGI APPARATUS TO WALL FORMATION IN THE MARINE CHRYSOPHYCEAN ALGA, PLEUROCHRYSIS SCHERFFELII PRINGSHEIM

Abstract

The role of the Golgi apparatus in wall formation of vegetative cells of a marine chrysophyte, Pleurochrysis scherffelii, is described. Wall fragments are synthesized within the cisternae of the Golgi apparatus. A single Golgi apparatus is always located at the cell periphery, and the distended cisternae are oriented toward the cell surface. A highly-ordered body found near the inflated cisternae is associated with spherical, membrane-bounded bodies which may be involved in the progressive degeneration of cisternal membranes which release wall fragments. Protoplast movement has been detected by time-lapse cinephotomicrography and is correlated at the ultrastructural level with change in positions of the Golgi cisternae. Wall-synthesizing capacity is greatest during transverse wall formation. Senescent cells lack a Golgi apparatus with inflated cisternae. In addition, wall fragments are not present in the Golgi cisternae at this stage. Zoosporogenesis results in a temporary loss of the wall-forming capacity of the Golgi apparatus; this activity then resumes with the formation of a different morphological entity, the scale. Preliminary quantitative measurements of the turnover capacity of the Golgi apparatus have been made. From these data it has been determined that between 41 and 82 Golgi generations are required to synthesize the cell wall of an actively growing cell; this estimate indicates that approximately one cisterna is produced every 2 min, provided the cell generation time is 3 days. The time-lapse cinephotomicrographic data confirm that the rate of production of Golgi cisternae is at least one cisterna every 2 min.