Functional anatomy of the mechanoreceptor cells in tendrils of Bryonia dioica Jacq.

The ultrastructure of epidermal cells of tendrils of Bryonia dioica Jacq. (Cucurbitaceae) was determined using microscopic, histochemical and immunochemical techniques with focus on the tactile blep, the mechano-receptor of these cells. Tactile bleps resemble bordered pits in structure and probably in formation. They contain cytoplasm rich in endoplasmic reticulum, dictyosomes, mitochondria and microbodies. The cytoplasm is highly vesiculated and usually contains lipid-body-like structures. Cytoskeletal elements (microtubules, actin filaments) are uniquely arranged in the tactile blep, and chlorotetracycline-fluorescence analysis shows large amounts of membrane-associated calcium within the tactile blep. We propose a physically interconnected cytoskeleton-membrane device as the immediate force sensor and transducer which creates a primary intracellular signal, for which calcium is a likely candidate.

[1]  E. Weiler,et al.  Monoclonal antibodies identify common and differentiation-specific antigens on the plasma membrane of guard cells of Vicia faba L. , 1988, Planta.

[2]  F. Bangerth.  Interaktionen von Auxin und Äthylen bei der thigmotropen Bewegung der Ranken von Cucumis sativus , 1974, Planta.

[3]  A. Campbell,et al.  Transgenic plant aequorin reports the effects of touch and cold-shock and elicitors on cytoplasmic calcium , 1991, Nature.

[4]  Steffen Junker,et al.  ULTRASTRUCTURE OF TACTILE PAPILLAE ON TENDRILS OF ECCREMOCARPUS SCABER R. ET P. , 1977 .

[5]  A. Sievers,et al.  Characteristic and differential calcium signals from cell structures of the root cap detected by energy-filtering electron microscopy (EELS/ESI). , 1993, European journal of cell biology.

[6]  L. C. Morejohn,et al.  Unique functional characteristics of the polymerization and MAP binding regulatory domains of plant tubulin. , 1993, The Plant cell.

[7]  E. Galun.  The cucumber tendril — a new test organ for gibberellic acid , 1959, Experientia.

[8]  E. Weiler,et al.  The Pseudomonas phytotoxin coronatine mimics octadecanoid signalling molecules of higher plants , 1994, FEBS letters.

[9]  A. Sievers,et al.  An inhibitor of the Ca2+-ATPases in the sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticula inhibits transduction of the gravity stimulus in cress roots , 1992, Planta.

[10]  W. Eschrich,et al.  Identification of Cauose by its Diachrome and Fluorochrome Reactions , 1964 .

[11]  J. McNally,et al.  Wall‐to‐membrane linkers in onion epidermis: some hypotheses , 1993 .

[12]  A. Trewavas,et al.  Wind-induced plant motion immediately increases cytosolic calcium. , 1992, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[13]  W. Jackson,et al.  Detection of the membrane-calcium distribution during mitosis in Haemanthus endosperm with chlorotetracycline , 1980, The Journal of cell biology.

[14]  T. Hogetsu,et al.  Arrangement of cortical microtubules during formation of bordered pit in the tracheids ofTaxus , 1993, Protoplasma.

[15]  D. Cheresh,et al.  RGD-dependent linkage between plant cell wall and plasma membrane: consequences for growth , 1989, The Journal of cell biology.

[16]  Ronald W. Davis,et al.  Rain-, wind-, and touch-induced expression of calmodulin and calmodulin-related genes in Arabidopsis , 1990, Cell.

[17]  E. Weiler,et al.  Touch- and Methyl Jasmonate-induced Lignification in Tendrils of Bryonia dioica Jacq. , 1994 .

[18]  A W Galston,et al.  The Physiology of Tendrils , 1968 .

[19]  D. Ingber,et al.  Mechanotransduction across the cell surface and through the cytoskeleton , 1993 .

[20]  Elmar W. Weiler,et al.  Ion-translocating ATPases in tendrils of Bryonia dioica Jacq. , 1994, Planta.

[21]  E. Weiler,et al.  Methyljasmonate and α-linolenic acid are potent inducers of tendril coiling , 1991, Planta.

[22]  E. Reynolds.  THE USE OF LEAD CITRATE AT HIGH pH AS AN ELECTRON-OPAQUE STAIN IN ELECTRON MICROSCOPY , 1963, The Journal of cell biology.

[23]  A. Sievers,et al.  The Root Cap: Structure and Function , 2002 .

[24]  A. Sievers.  Zur Epidermisaußenwand der Fühlborsten von Dionaea muscipula , 1968, Planta.

[25]  A. Sonesson,et al.  Cytoskeleton components of inside-out and right-side-out plasma membrane vesicles from plants , 1993, Protoplasma.

[26]  D. Hodick,et al.  The action potential of Dionaea muscipula Ellis , 1988, Planta.

[27]  M. Jaffe.  Physiological Studies on Pea Tendrils: VII. Evaluation of a Technique for the Asymmetrical Application of Ethylene. , 1970, Plant physiology.

[28]  J. Lareyre,et al.  Isolation, sequencing and analysis of the expression of Bryonia calmodulin after mechanical perturbation , 1993, Plant Molecular Biology.

[29]  B. Buchen,et al.  Localization of Calcium in the Sensory Cells of the Dionaea Trigger Hair by Laser Micro-Mass Analysis (LAMMA) , 1986 .

[30]  N. Carpita,et al.  The plant cytoskeleton-cell-wall continuum. , 1993, Trends in cell biology.

[31]  T. Albrecht,et al.  Evidence for the involvement of jasmonates and their octadecanoid precursors in the tendril coiling response of Bryonia dioica , 1993 .

[32]  T D Pollard,et al.  The interaction of actin filaments with microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins. , 1982, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[33]  M. M. Bradford.  A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. , 1976, Analytical biochemistry.