Cleavage of cytoplasm within the oligonucleate zoosporangia of Allomyces macrogynus

Abstract

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.