Freeze substitution reveals a new model for sporangial cleavage in Phytophthora, a result with implications for cytokinesis in other eukaryotes

PpMID1 Plays a Role in the Asexual Development and Virulence of Phytophthora parasitica

Phytophthora parasitica is a notorious oomycete pathogen that causes severe disease in a wide variety of crop species. Infection of plants involves mainly its asexual life stage, including papillate sporangia and biflagellated zoospores, which are the primary dispersal and infection agents of this pathogen. Calcium signaling has been thought as the key regulator for sporangium formation and zoospore differentiation. However, not much is known about the molecular players involved in these processes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mating pheromone-induced death 1 (MID1) encodes a component of a putative calcium channel. Here, we identified and characterized the function of PpMID1, an MID1 homolog from P. parasitica. The expression of PpMID1 was high in sporangia. Gene silencing of PpMID1 resulted in the formation of sporangia that lacked papilla and showed a tendency for direct germination. Notably, in response to cold shock to induce zoospore formation, these sporangia showed no sign of cytoplasmic cleavage and thereby failed to form zoospores. Nonetheless, the addition of CaCl₂ or MgCl₂ partially recovered the silenced sporangia phenotype, with the formation of papillate sporangia similar to those of the wild type and the release of zoospores upon cold shock. As well, virulence toward Nicotiana benthamiana was reduced in the PpMID1-silenced transformants. These results indicate a role of PpMID1 in the asexual development and virulence of P. parasitica.

Cleavage of cytoplasm within the oligonucleate zoosporangia of allomyces macrogynus

Allomyces macrogynus produces zoosporangia that discharge uninucleate zoospores after cleavage of multinucleate cytoplasm. Cleavage of cytoplasm within the oligonucleate zoosporangia of A. macrogynus was visualized by constructing three-dimensional models based on electron micrographs and confocal images. In oligonucleate zoosporangia, three adjacent nuclei can form three cleavage planes with a line of intersection of the planes. The position and boundary of the cleavage planes are thought to be determined by the relative positions of the nuclei. The establishment of three cleavage planes by cleavage membranes occurred sequentially, and the nuclear axis connecting the centers of two nuclei affected the development of cleavage membranes on each cleavage plane. In multinucleate zoosporangia, groups of three neighboring nuclei near the cell cortex may initiate the sequential establishment of cleavage planes and then may interact with the nuclei further from the cortex until the interactions of nuclei are propagated to the central region of the cytoplasm.

Cytoskeleton organisation during the infection of three brown algal species, Ectocarpus siliculosus, Ectocarpus crouaniorum and Pylaiella littoralis, by the intracellular marine oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii

Oomycete diseases in seaweeds are probably widespread and of significant ecological and economic impact, but overall still poorly understood. This study investigates the organisation of the cytoskeleton during infection of three brown algal species, Pylaiella littoralis, Ectocarpus siliculosus, and Ectocarpus crouaniorum, by the basal marine oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii. Immunofluorescence staining of tubulin revealed how the development of this intracellular biotrophic pathogen impacts on microtubule (MT) organisation of its algal host. The host MT cytoskeleton remains normal and organised by the centrosome until very late stages of the infection. Additionally, the organisation of the parasite's cytoskeleton was examined. During mitosis of the E. dicksonii nucleus the MT focal point (microtubule organisation centre, MTOC, putative centrosome) duplicates and each daughter MTOC migrates to opposite poles of the nucleus. This similarity in MT organisation between the host and pathogen reflects the relatively close phylogenetic relationship between oomycetes and brown algae. Moreover, actin labelling with rhodamine-phalloidin in E. dicksonii revealed typical images of actin dots connected by fine actin filament bundles in the cortical cytoplasm. The functional and phylogenetic implications of our observations are discussed.

Transient fusion and selective secretion of vesicle proteins in Phytophthora nicotianae zoospores

Secretion of pathogen proteins is crucial for the establishment of disease in animals and plants. Typically, early interactions between host and pathogen trigger regulated secretion of pathogenicity factors that function in pathogen adhesion and host penetration. During the onset of plant infection by spores of the Oomycete, Phytophthora nicotianae, proteins are secreted from three types of cortical vesicles. Following induction of spore encystment, two vesicle types undergo full fusion, releasing their entire contents onto the cell surface. However, the third vesicle type, so-called large peripheral vesicles, selectively secretes a small Sushi domain-containing protein, PnCcp, while retaining a large glycoprotein, PnLpv, before moving away from the plasma membrane. Selective secretion of PnCcp is associated with its compartmentalization within the vesicle periphery. Pharmacological inhibition of dynamin function, purportedly in vesicle fission, by dynasore treatment provides evidence that selective secretion of PnCcp requires transient fusion of the large peripheral vesicles. This is the first report of selective protein secretion via transient fusion outside mammalian cells. Selective secretion is likely to be an important aspect of plant infection by this destructive pathogen.

Capturing endocytic segregation events with HPF-CLEM

We have advocated the use of high-pressure freezing (HPF) in specific types of Correlative Light Electron Microscopy (CLEM) experiments because the intracellular components such as the cytoskeleton and membrane tubules can only be adequately preserved via cryofixation. To allow fast transfer from the light microscope into a cryofixation device, we have developed the Rapid Transfer System (RTS) for the EMPACT2 high-pressure freezer. In this chapter, we will describe how to prepare and perform a CLEM experiment using this device and will highlight the latest changes made to the original system to optimize the workflow.

Genome-wide identification of Phytophthora sojae SNARE genes and functional characterization of the conserved SNARE PsYKT6

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are central components of the machinery mediating membrane fusion and key factors for vesicular trafficking in all eukaryotic cells. Taking advantage of the available whole genome sequence of the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora sojae, 35 genes encoding putative SNARE proteins were identified in the genome of this organism. PsYKT6, one of the most conserved SNARE proteins, was functionally characterized by homology-dependent gene silencing. The phenotype analysis showed that PsYKT6 is important for proper asexual development, sexual reproduction, and pathogenesis on host soybean cultivars.

Cytokinesis of the binucleate zoosporangia of Allomyces macrogynus

Allomyces macrogynus, a true fungus, produces zoosporangia which discharge uninucleate zoospores after cytoplasmic cleavage. Binucleate zoosporangia of A. macrogynus were induced and examined to understand the basic principles of cytokinesis associated with the multinucleate zoosporangia. Development of cleavage membranes was visualized by constructing three dimensional models based on electron micrographs and confocal images. Cleavage membranes on the cleavage plane showed asymmetric ingression from the cortex, but cleavage of cytoplasm was completed by the fusion of cleavage membranes with plasma membrane. Also, the position of the cleavage plane was continuously rotated until settled at the last stage. These studies suggest that the positions of the numerous cleavage planes within a multinucleate zoosporangium are continuously adjusted during development of cleavage membranes. The final settlement of cleavage planes would define the exact boundary of cleavage planes and the expansion of cleavage membranes toward the boundary could complete the cleavage of cytoplasm.

Phytophthora nicotianae transformants lacking dynein light chain 1 produce non-flagellate zoospores

Biflagellate zoospores of the highly destructive plant pathogens in the genus Phytophthora are responsible for the initiation of infection of host plants. Zoospore motility is a critical component of the infection process because it allows zoospores to actively target suitable infection sites on potential hosts. Flagellar assembly and function in eukaryotes depends on a number of dynein-based molecular motors that facilitate retrograde intraflagellar transport and sliding of adjacent microtubule doublets in the flagellar axonemes. Dynein light chain 1 (DLC1) is one of a number of proteins in the dynein outer arm multiprotein complex. It is a 22 kDa leucine-rich repeat protein that binds to the catalytic motor domain of the dynein gamma heavy chain. We report the cloning and characterization of DLC1 homologues in Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora nicotianae (PcDLC1 and PnDLC1). PcDLC1 and PnDLC1 are single copy genes that are more highly expressed in sporulating hyphae than in vegetative hyphae, zoospores or germinated cysts. Polyclonal antibodies raised against PnDLC1 locallized PnDLC1 along the length of the flagella of P. nicotianae zoospores. RNAi-mediated silencing of PnDLC1 expression yielded transformants that released non-flagellate, non-motile zoospores from their sporangia. Our observations indicate that zoospore motility is not required for zoospore release from P. nicotianae sporangia or for breakage of the evanescent vesicle into which zoospores are initially discharged.

A putative DEAD-box RNA-helicase is required for normal zoospore development in the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans

The asexual multinucleated sporangia of Phytophthora infestans can germinate directly through a germ tube or indirectly by releasing zoospores. The molecular mechanisms controlling sporangial cytokinesis or sporangial cleavage, and zoospore release are largely unknown. Sporangial cleavage is initiated by a cold shock that eventually compartmentalizes single nuclei within each zoospore. Comparison of EST representation in different cDNA libraries revealed a putative ATP-dependent DEAD-box RNA-helicase gene in P. infestans, Pi-RNH1, which has a 140-fold increased expression level in young zoospores compared to uncleaved sporangia. RNA interference was employed to determine the role of Pi-RNH1 in zoospore development. Silencing efficiencies of up to 99% were achieved in some transiently-silenced lines. These Pi-RNH1-silenced lines produced large aberrant zoospores that had undergone partial cleavage and often had multiple flagella on their surface. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that cytoplasmic vesicles fused in the silenced lines, resulting in the formation of large vesicles. The Pi-RNH1-silenced zoospores were also sensitive to osmotic pressure and often ruptured upon release from the sporangia. These findings indicate that Pi-RNH1 has a major function in zoospore development and its potential role in cytokinesis is discussed.

Application of electron tomography to fungal ultrastructure studies

Access to structural information at the nanoscale enables fundamental insights into many complex biological systems. The development of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has vastly increased our understanding of multiple biological systems. However, when attempting to visualize and understand the organizational and functional complexities that are typical of cells and tissues, the standard 2-D analyses that TEM affords often fall short. In recent years, high-resolution electron tomography methods, coupled with advances in specimen preparation and instrumentation and computational speed, have resulted in a revolution in the biological sciences. Electron tomography is analogous to medical computerized axial tomography (CAT-scan imaging) except at a far finer scale. It utilizes the TEM to assemble multiple projections of an object which are then combined for 3-D analyses. For biological specimens, tomography enables the highest 3-D resolution (5 nm spatial resolution) of internal structures in relatively thick slices of material (0.2-0.4 microm) without requiring the collection and alignment of large numbers of thin serial sections. Thus accurate and revealing 3-D reconstructions of complex cytoplasmic entities and architecture can be obtained. Electron tomography is now being applied to a variety of biological questions with great success. This review gives a brief introduction into cryopreservation and electron tomography relative to aspects of cytoplasmic organization in the hyphal tip of Aspergillus nidulans.

Phytophthora cinnamomi

SUMMARY

Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands was first isolated from cinnamon trees in Sumatra in 1922. The pathogen is believed to have originated near Papua New Guinea but now has a worldwide distribution. P. cinnamomi is heterothallic with A1 and A2 mating types; however, even in areas in which both mating types are present, it appears that genetic diversity arises asexually rather than as a result of sexual recombination. P. cinnamomi can grow saprophytically in the soil for long periods, rapidly capitalizing on the advent of favourable conditions to sporulate and produce vast numbers of asexual, biflagellate zoospores. The motile zoospores are attracted to suitable infection sites, where they attach and invade the plant. Within a few days, hyphae ramify throughout the tissues of susceptible plants, forming sporangia on the plant surface and rapidly amplifying the disease inoculum. Over the last 10-15 years, molecular analyses have clarified details of the phylogeny of P. cinnamomi and other Oomycetes. Research on P. cinnamomi has given rise to a more comprehensive understanding of the structure and function of the motile zoospores. New methods have been developed for P. cinnamomi identification and diagnosis. Long-term studies of diseased sites, particular those in southern Australia, have produced a better understanding of the epidemiology of P. cinnamomi diseases. Research has also increased our knowledge of the mode of action and efficacy of inhibitors of P. cinnamomi diseases, especially the phosphonates. This review will present an overview of the advances these studies have made in our understanding of P. cinnamomi pathogenicity, epidemiology and control.

TAXONOMY

Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands; kingdom Chromista; phylum Oomycota; order Peronosporales; family Peronosporaceae; genus Phytophthora.

HOST RANGE

Likely to infect in excess of 3000 species of plants including over 2500 Australian native species, and crops such as avocado, pineapple, peach, chestnut and macadamia. Disease symptoms: A root pathogen which usually causes rotting of fine and fibrous roots but which can also cause stem cankers. Often causes dieback of young shoots and is thought to do so as a result of interference with transpiration from roots to shoots.

USEFUL WEBSITES

http://genome.jgi-psf.org/physo00.info.html; http://phytophthora.vbi.vt.edu.

Morphological and cytochemical aspects of capillary permeability

Transport of plasma soluble constituents across the capillary wall is of primordial importance in cardiovascular physiology. While physiological experiments have concluded with the existence of two sets of pores, a large one responsible for the transport of proteins and a small one designed for the diffusion of small solutes, the morphological counterparts have yet to get general agreement. In this review, we present the different proposed paths within and between the endothelial cells that do allow passage of plasma constituents and may respond to the definitions established by physiological means. The vesicular system existing in endothelial cells has been the first transendothelial path to be proposed. Several data have demonstrated the involvement of this system in transport, although others have systematically brought controversy. One alternative to the vesicles has been the demonstration of membrane-bound tubules creating, in certain cases, transendothelial channels that would allow diffusion of plasma proteins and other constituents across the capillary wall. Access to this tubulo-vesicular system could be restrained by the stomatal diaphragm and facilitated by specific membrane receptors. Further, we have demonstrated for the first time with morpho-cytochemical tools, that the intercellular clefts are the site of diffusion for small molecules such as peptides having a molecular weight inferior to 3,000. For the fenestrated capillary bed, we have shown that fenestrae are the site through which plasma constituents cross the capillary wall. However, and in spite of the existence of these large open pores, the endothelial cells still display the tubulo-vesicular system involved in transport of large molecules and their intercellular clefts are also the site of diffusion of small molecules. Making consensus on the existence of an intracellular tubulo-vesicular system in non-fenestrated capillaries, responsible for the transport of large molecules by the endothelial cells, and understanding the rational for the fenestrated capillary to have three paths for transport--the fenestrae, the tubulo-vesicular system, and the inter-endothelial clefts--require further investigation.

The role of proline in osmoregulation in Phytophthora nicotianae

A cDNA encoding Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (P5CR), the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in proline biosynthesis in plants and bacteria, has been cloned from the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora nicotianae. Genomic DNA blots indicated that P. nicotianae and P. cinnamomi each contain a single P5CR gene, whereas P. infestans contains one or two genes. Complementation of a strain of Escherichia coli defective in the P5CR protein by the P. nicotianae P5CR cDNA confirmed that the gene encoded a functional P5CR. RNA blots revealed that P5CR was expressed at a much higher level in P. nicotianae zoospores than in vegetative hyphae, sporulating hyphae, or germlings. Furthermore, P5CR mRNA levels increased with time in zoospores, demonstrating that transcription occurs in zoospores. mRNA encoding histidine and tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes was not highly and specifically expressed in zoospores, indicating that the developmental pattern of P5CR expression was not simply a reflection of overall amino acid biosynthesis as might be required for protein synthesis. Measurement of free proline in P. nicotianae at different stages of the life cycle revealed that proline concentration was highest in sporulating hyphae. Vegetative hyphae and germlings contained about 50% of this concentration of proline, and zoospores contained only about 1% of this level. Substantial amounts of proline were measured in the medium into which the zoospore had been released. Hypoosmotic shock of P. nicotianae hyphae led to an approximately 50% decrease in free proline concentration within 30 min of transfer to low-osmolarity medium and was accompanied by an increase in the level of P5CR mRNA. These data are discussed in terms of the possible role of proline in osmoregulation in Phytophthora.

Freeze-substitution: origins and applications

Freeze-substitution is a physicochemical process in which biological specimens are immobilized and stabilized for microscopy. Water frozen within cells is replaced by organic solvents at subzero temperatures. Freeze-substitution is widely used for ultrastructural and immunocytochemical analyses of cells by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Less well recognized is its superiority over conventional chemical fixation in preserving labile and rare tissue antigens for immunocytochemistry by light microscopy. In the postgenome era, the focus of molecular genetics will shift from analyzing DNA sequence structure to elucidating the function of gene networks, the intercellular effects of polygenetic diseases, and the conformational rearrangements of proteins in situ. Novel strategies will be needed to integrate knowledge of chemical structures of normal and abnormal macromolecules with the physiology and developmental biology of cells and tissues from whole organisms. This review summarizes the progress and future prospects of freeze-substitution for such explorations.

The cytoplast concept in dividing plant cells: cytoplasmic domains and the evolution of spatially organized cell

The unique cytokinetic apparatus of higher plant cells comprises two cytoskeletal systems: a predictive preprophase band of microtubules (MTs), which defines the future division site, and the phragmoplast, which mediates crosswall formation after mitosis. We review features of plant cell division in an evolutionary context and from the viewpoint that the cell is a domain of cytoplasm (cytoplast) organized around the nucleus by a cytoskeleton consisting of a single "tensegral" unit. The term "tensegrity" is a contraction of "tensional integrity" and the concept proposes that the whole cell is organized by an integrated cytoskeleton of tension elements (e.g., actin fibers) extended over compression-resistant elements (e.g., MTs).During cell division, a primary role of the spindle is seen as generating two cytoplasts from one with separation of chromosomes a later, derived function. The telophase spindle separates the newly forming cytoplasts and the overlap between half spindles (the shared edge of two new domains) dictates the position at which cytokinesis occurs. Wall MTs of higher plant cells, like the MT cytoskeleton in animal and protistan cells, spatially define the interphase cytoplast. Redeployment of actin and MTs into the preprophase band (PPB) is the overt signal that the boundary between two nascent cytoplasts has been delineated. The "actin-depleted zone" that marks the site of the PPB throughout mitosis may be a more persistent manifestation of this delineation of two domains of cortical actin. The growth of the phragmoplast is controlled by these domains, not just by the spindle. These domains play a major role in controlling the path of phragmoplast expansion. Primitive land plants show different morphological changes that reveal that the plane of division, with or without the PPB, has been determined well in advance of mitosis.The green alga Spirogyra suggests how the phragmoplast system might have evolved: cytokinesis starts with cleavage and then actin-related determinants stimulate and positionally control cell-plate formation in a phragmoplast arising from interzonal MTs from the spindle. Actin in the PPB of higher plants may be assembling into a potential furrow, imprinting a cleavage site whose persistent determinants (perhaps actin) align the outgrowing edge of the phragmoplast, as in Spirogyra. Cytochalasin spatially disrupts polarized mitosis and positioning of the phragmoplast. Thus, the tensegral interaction of actin with MTs (at the spindle pole and in the phragmoplast) is critical to morphogenesis, just as they seem to be during division of animal cells. In advanced green plants, intercalary expansion driven by turgor is controlled by MTs, which in conjunction with actin, may act as stress detectors, thereby affecting the plane of division (a response clearly evident after wounding of tissue). The PPB might be one manifestation of this strain detection apparatus.

Dynamic rearrangement of the filamentous actin network occurs during zoosporogenesis and encystment in the oomycete phytophthora cinnamomi

The organization of filamentous actin (F-actin) in living cells of the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi was determined during zoosporogenesis and zoospore encystment by microinjecting sporangia with fluorescently labeled phalloidin and observing resultant fluorescence by confocal microscopy. In multinucleate sporangia prior to the induction of cleavage, phalloidin labeling took the form of plaques which occurred mainly in the periphery of the sporangia. After induction of cleavage, phalloidin labeling showed that the plaques disappeared and that F-actin began to accumulate along the developing cleavage planes and around nuclei and water expulsion vacuoles. F-actin labeling was also observed near the plasma membrane in zoospores and young cysts but reverted to the plaque form in older cysts. Localization of F-actin close to the developing cleavage planes is consistent with the idea that actin microfilaments function in the positioning and expansion of the cleavage membranes. Observations of plaques of actin in living sporangia provide evidence that plaques are not aldehyde-induced fixation artifacts. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Evidence of a tubular system for transendothelial transport in arterial capillaries of the rete mirabile

The arterial endothelial cells of the rete capillaries of the eel were examined by transmission electron microscopy on thin sections, on freeze-fracture replicas, by scanning electron microscopy, after cytochemical osmium impregnation and perfusion with peroxidase. The study revealed the existence of membrane-bound tubules and vesicles that open at both the luminal and abluminal poles of the cell and at the level of the intercellular space. The tubules are straight or present successive dilations and constrictions. They branch in various directions and intrude deeply into the cell cytoplasm, forming a complex tubular network within the cell. Immunocytochemical techniques were applied on immersion-fixed tissues and on perfusion of the capillaries with albumin and insulin. These demonstrated that the tubular-vesicular system is involved in the transport of circulating proteins. Furthermore, protein A-gold immunocytochemistry has revealed the association of actin with the membranes of this system. On the basis of these results, we suggest that the transendothelial transport of serum proteins takes place by a transcytotic process through a membrane-bound tubular-vesicular system and is equivalent to the large pore system presumed from functional studies.

Spray-freezing freeze substitution (SFFS) of cell suspensions for improved preservation of ultrastructure

Some unicellular organisms present challenges to chemical fixations that lead to common, yet obvious, artifacts. These can be avoided in entirety by adapting spray-freezing technology to ultrarapidly freeze specimens for freeze substitution. To freeze specimens, concentrated suspensions of cells ranging in diameter from 0.5-30 pm were sprayed with an airbrush at 140-200 kPa (1.05-1.5 torr; 20.3-29.0 psi) into a nylon mesh transfer basket submerged in liquid propane. After freezing, the mesh basket containing the frozen sample was lifted out of the chamber, drained and transferred through several anhydrous acetone rinses at 188 K (-85 degrees C). Freeze substitution was conducted in 1% tannic acid/1% anhydrous glutaraldehyde in acetone at 188 K (-85 degrees C), followed by 1% OsO4/acetone at 277 K (4 degrees C). Freeze substitution was facilitated using a shaking table to provide gentle mixing of the substitution medium on dry ice. High quality freezing was observed in 70% of spray-frozen dinoflagellate cells and in 95% of spray-frozen cyanobacterial cells. These could be infiltrated and observed directly; however, overall ultrastructural appearance and membrane contrast were improved when the freeze-substituted cells were rehydrated and post-fixed in aqueous OSO4, then dehydrated and embedded in either Spurr's or Epon resin. Ultrastructural preservation using this ultrarapid freezing method provided specimens that were consistently superior to those obtainable in even the best comparable chemical fixations.

From coiled tubules to a secretory canaliculus: a new model for membrane transformation and acid secretion by gastric parietal cells

The acid-secreting gastric parietal cell has a unique secretory membrane system. This membrane system exists in an inactive (non-secreting) and an active (secreting) form. The current accepted model to explain the transformation events associated with the conversion of the non-secreting membrane to the secreting membrane, and vice versa, invokes membrane recycling of elongated vesicle structures. However, recent studies employing cryopreparation have shown that the non-secreting membrane in these cells is actually a complex network of helically coiled tubules. Here, we present an alternative model to explain how the membrane in parietal cells is activated to secrete HCl.

Polarity of vesicle distribution in oomycete zoospores: development of polarity and importance for infection

Biflagellate zoospores are the major infective agent for many pathogenic species of Oomycetes. Over the last 10 years, the use of a range of immunological techniques has greatly expanded our understanding of the ultrastructure of these cells and of the role a number of cell components play in the infection of a host. Three types of vesicles that occur in the peripheral cytoplasm of the zoospores have been well characterized. These vesicles show distinct polarities in their distribution within the zoospore cortex. Two are secretory and are thought to be responsible for the formation of the cyst coat and the deposition of adhesive material during encystment and host infection. The third vesicle type is not secreted and appears to serve as a store of proteins used to support early germling growth. All three vesicles are formed by the Golgi apparatus in hyphae following the induction of sporulation. They move into sporangia developing at the hyphal apex and are randomly distributed in the forming and mature sporangia. After the induction of sporangial cleavage, the vesicles are sorted into domains adjacent to the newly formed zoospore plasma membrane. This final sorting is dependent in some way on an intact microtubular cytoskeleton. Vesicle targeting and sorting is thus temporally and spatially removed from vesicle synthesis. Features of the oomycete zoospore system promise to make it a valuable one in which to conduct further studies of vesicle targeting, polarized secretion, and the role of the cytoskeleton in these processes. Key words: cytoskeleton, immunocytochemistry, Phytophthora, regulated secretion, sporulation.

Fast freeze-fixation/freeze-substitution reveals the secretory membranes of the gastric parietal cell as a network of helically coiled tubule. A new model for parietal cell transformation

The parietal cell of the gastric mucosa undergoes rapid morphological transformation when it is stimulated to produce hydrochloric acid. In chemically fixed cells, this process is seen as a reduction in number of cytoplasmic ‘tubulovesicles’ as the apical surface of the cell progressively invaginates to increase the secretory surface area. It is widely believed that the tubulovesicles represent stored secretory membrane in the cytoplasm of the unstimulated cell, which is incorporated into the apical membrane upon stimulation, because they share H+,K+-ATPase activity with the apical membrane. However, fusion of tubulovesicles with the apical membrane concomitant with parietal cell activation has never been convincingly demonstrated. We have used fast freeze-fixation and freeze-substitution to study stages of morphological transformation in these cells. Tubulovesicles were not seen in the cytoplasm of any of our cryoprepared cells. Instead, the cytoplasm of the unstimulated cell contained numerous and densely packed helical coils of tubule, each having an axial core of cytoplasm. The helical coils were linked together by connecting tubules, lengths of relatively straight tubule. Lengths of straight connecting tubule also extended from coils lying adjacent to the apical and canalicular surfaces and ended at the apical and canaliculus membranes. Immunogold labelling with alpha- and beta-subunit-specific antibodies showed that the gastric H+,K+-ATPase was localized to the membranes of this tubular system, which therefore represented the configuration of the secretory membrane in the cytoplasm of the unstimulated parietal cell. Stimulation of the cells with histamine and isobutylmethylxanthine lead to modification of the tubular membrane system, correlated with progressive invagination of the apical membrane. The volume of the tubule lumen increased and, as this occurred, the tight spiral twist of the helical coils was lost, indicating that tubule distension was accounted for by partial unwinding. This exposed the cores of cytoplasm in the axes of the coils as rod-shaped elements of a three-dimensional reticulum, resembling a series of microvilli in random thin sections. Conversely, treatment with the H2 antagonist cimetidine caused severe contraction of the tubular membrane system and intracellular canaliculi. Our results indicate that tubulovesicles are an artifact of chemical fixation; consequently, they cannot have a role in parietal cell transformation. From our findings we propose an alternative model for morphological transformation in the parietal cell. This model predicts cytoskeleton-mediated control over expansion and contraction of the tubular membrane network revealed by cryopreparation. The model is compatible with the localization of cytoskeletal components in these cells.

Ultrastructure of the endocytotic pathway in glutaraldehyde-fixed and high-pressure frozen/freeze-substituted protoplasts of white spruce (Picea glauca)

An ultrastructural study of endocytosis has been made for the first time in protoplasts of a gymnosperm, white spruce (Picea glauca), fixed by high-pressure freezing and freeze substitution. Protoplasts derived from the WS1 line of suspension-cultured embryogenic white spruce were labelled with cationized ferritin, a non-specific marker of the plasma membrane. The timing of cationized ferritin uptake and its subcellular distribution were determined by fixing protoplasts at various intervals after labelling. To address concerns about using chemical fixation to study the membrane-bound transport of cationized ferritin, protoplasts were fixed both by conventional glutaraldehyde fixation and by rapid freezing in a Balzers high-pressure freezing apparatus (followed by freeze substitution). Cationized ferritin appeared rapidly in coated pits and coated vesicles after labelling. Later it was present in uncoated vesicles, and in Golgi bodies, trans-Golgi membranes and partially coated reticula, then subsequently in multivesicular bodies, which may ultimately fuse with and deliver their contents to lytic vacuoles. The results show that the time course and pathway of cationized ferritin uptake in the gymnosperm white spruce is very similar to the time course and pathway elucidated for cationized ferritin uptake in the angiosperm soybean. High-pressure freezing yielded much better preservation of intracellular membranes and organelles, although plasma membranes appeared ruffled. Protoplasts fixed by both methods possessed numerous smooth vesicles in the cortex and smooth invaginations of the plasma membrane. These became labelled with cationized ferritin, but apparently did not contribute directly to the internalization of cationized ferritin, except via the formation of coated pits and vesicles from their surfaces.

Gastric parietal cell development: expression of the H+/K+ ATPase subunits coincides with the biogenesis of the secretory membranes

The early development of the parietal cell in the embryonic murine gastric mucosa was investigated with particular attention paid to the biogenesis of the secretory membranes and the localization of the gastric H+/K+ ATPase alpha and beta subunits. Gastric glands were recognized in the day 18 foetus. However, at this stage in development no parietal cells could be distinguished ultrastructurally in the glands, and no immunoreactivity was detected with monoclonal antibodies to either the alpha or beta subunits of the gastric H+/K+ ATPase. In the 19 day embryo, parietal cells were recognizable morphologically by the presence of slender microvilli on the apical (lumenal) surface and differentiating intracellular canaliculi in the apical cytoplasm. Both subunits of the proton pump were found to be specifically associated with the apical and canalicular membranes and with the membranes of relatively large vesicles distributed in the subapical cytoplasm and the cytoplasm surrounding the canaliculi. In the parietal cells of the day 1 neonate, the intracellular canaliculi had extended basally to form the extensive compartments typical of parietal cells in the adult animal. Again, profiles of vesicles showing H+/K+ ATPase immunoreactivity were present in the pericanalicular cytoplasm. These results indicate that the intracellular canaliculi are formed by expansion of the apical surface and suggest that the delivery of newly synthesized gastric H+/K+ ATPase alpha and beta subunits to the apical plasma membrane is mediated by typical Golgi transport vesicles. The large immunoreactive vesicles that occur in the apical and pericanalicular cytoplasm of the developing cells may represent artefacts generated by fixation-induced fragmentation of the differentiating canalicular membrane system during preparation.