Abstract
SUMMARYPrevious ultrastructural studies of Sphacelaria furcigera have revealed the existence of distinct ‘morphological’ layers within the outer longitudinal cell walls. Bud initiation and development from an axial mother cell involve a change in the layering pattern. The histochemical evidence suggests that the cell wall is composed primarily of alternating layers of sulphated polysaccharides (fucans) and acidic polysaccharides (alignates). Structural integrity of the developing bud cell wall appears to be maintained by a thickened inner alginate layer. The abundance of protein sublayers within the bud cell wall may reflect the presence of enzymes which participate in cell wall loosening and/or synthesis. In addition, a number of the histochemical techniques employed in this study were also applied to the brown alga Fucus distichus for comparative purposes. The results emphasize the need for caution when interpreting histochemical data. Toluidine blue O metachromasia and the periodic acid–Schiff's reaction are evaluated critically and suggestions are given for improving histochemical interpretations.
Published Version
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