Ultrastructural Cytology of Callus Cultures of Streptanthus tortuosus as Affected by Temperature

Abstract

Tissue culture cells of Streptanthus tortuosus var. orbiculatus (Cruciferae) which have acquired a spherical viruslike particle located in their nucleoli, designated cell line STV, developed supergranal chloroplasts and lost the ability to differentiate vascular tissues. The effect of temperature on the ultrastructural cytology of one line of the STV tissue, STV-I, was compared with the effect of temperature on the ultrastructural cytology of tissue culture cells lacking the viruslike particles (control cell lines). At 4 C, the cellular and ultrastructural appearance of control tissue culture cells differed from that of tissue grown at 22 C by producing increased amounts of endoplasmic reticulum and dictyosomes and by reduction of chloroplast thylakoids. STV-I cells were generally moribund as a result of 4 C treatment. Chloroplast thylakoids were also reduced in control tissue following growth at 10 C and the apparent quantities of endoplasmic reticulum and dictyosomes were similar to those observed in control cells grown at the control temperature (22 C), but less than those observed in tissue subjected to 4 C. STV-I tissue grown at 10 C demonstrated increased endoplasmic reticulum and dictyosomes and reduction of polysomal configurations. The mitochondrial morphology was variable and the cells contained supergranal chloroplasts and proplastids. At the control temperature (22 C), the fine structural appearance of control tissue culture cells was typical of parenchyma cells, but STV-I cells contained mitochondria of variable morphology and two types of chloroplasts— normal and supergranal. Control tissue grown at 30 C also contained proplastids, but these proplastids contained starch in contrast to the proplastids in control tissue grown at low temperatures. The ultrastructural cytology of STV-I cells grown at elevated temperature (30 C) was characterized by enlarged mitochondria containing massive lipid bodies and the presence of protoplastids with starch and supergranal chloroplasts.