Role of bromine in the formation of the refractile inclusions of the vesicle cells of the Bonnemaisoniaceae (Rhodophyta)

Abstract

Refractile inclusions characteristic of the vesicle cells of members of the Bonnemaisoniaceae fail to form if bromide is omitted from the culture medium. Electron microprobe analysis shows the localization of bromine in these cells. When grown in the presence of bromide, but not when grown in its absence, these organisms oxidize iodide to iodine; in Trailliella, this oxidation occurs at the vesicle cells.