The Nucleic Acids and Cellular Differentiation in the Root Apex ofPisum sativum

Abstract

The characteristic morphological development of cells from the inner stele, outer stele, and cortex of the pea root is accompanied by corresponding increases in RNA content. The increases are closely related to cell size but, in the outer stele at least, the increase is partly due to a rise in the RNA concentration. With the onset of vacuole development, the pattern of RNA increases is obscured. The DNA content of cell nuclei increase as cells enlarge, but these increases cannot be correlated with increases in cell volume.