Summary
Development of the capillitium ofPerichaena vermicularis has been examined using light and electron microscopy. Two mechanisms are involved in the production of the thread-like structures. Initiation of capillitial development begins with the formation of long rows of vacuoles throughout the previous undifferentiated protoplasm of young plasmodiocarp. A homogeneous layer of amorphous material referred to as the cortical layer surrounds the vacuoles. Arrays of microtubules are present directly outside the cortical layer and apparently serve as a framework for the formation of the vacuolar system in which capillitial walls develop.
Simultaneously, invaginations of the plasma membrane result in development of additional tubes in which capillitial threads are secreted.E. coli are embedded in the layer of slime which covers the invagination and once again a cortical layer is present directly beneath the invagination of the plasma membrane.
After the tubular vacuolar system is formed, walls are secreted inside the tubes; vesicles are apparently involved in wall formation. Some of the mature capillitial threads are filled withE. coli. The results suggest the hollow capillitial tubes containing slime and other debris are an excellent environment for the growth and multiplication ofE. coli in cultures of Myxomycetes.
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This work was supported by NSF Traineeship (G2 445 and 796) to I.Charvat and NSF Grants (GB-5883 and GB-8537) to I. K. Ross.
This constitutes a portion of a thesis presented to the Regents of the University of California by the first author in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree.
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Charvat, I., Cronshaw, J. & Ross, I.K. Development of the capillitium inPerichaena vermicularis A plasmodial slime mold. Protoplasma 80, 207–221 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01666360
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01666360