Relationships between structure and motility ofAlbizzia motor organs: Changes in ultrastructure of cortical cells during dark-induced closure

Abstract

Paired leaflets ofAlbizzia julibrissin spread apart (open) in the daytime and fold together (close) at night. We examined the structure of cells in open and closedAlbizzia motor organs (pulvini) to identify reversible changes in structure associated with motility. Pulvini were fixed in glutaraldehyde and stained using conventional methods. The pulvinus has a central vascular cylinder bordered by thick-walled collenchyma cells, in turn surrounded by an endodermis and many layers of cortical parenchyma. Cortical cells in the extensor undergo large changes in shape during leaflet closure linked with: formation of wall infoldings, development of a large periplasmic space filled with fibrils and membranes, development of lobes on the nucleus, evagination of the nuclear outer envelope membrane, break-up of the large central vacuole to form many small vacuoles, and linking of the plasmalemma to inner regions of the cytoplasm by microfilaments. Cortical cells in the flexor, by contrast, remain relatively stable during leaflet movement. Microtubules are present near the plasmalemma in both extensor and flexor cells; in the extensor, spherical coated vesicles are located near the microtubules. The possible function of these structures in regulating intracellular shuttling processes is discussed.