Wide-range ultrastructural analysis of organelles in pollen formation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26440170
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Morphology/Structure
• Research Institution: Japan Women's University
• Principal Investigator: Nagata Noriko 日本女子大学, 理学部, 教授 (40311352)
• Research Collaborator: KOBAYASHI Megumi ; HONDA Tamami ; SAWAKI Fumie
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 電子顕微鏡 / オルガネラ / 脂質 / 葯

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tapetum and male gametophyte in higher plants contains characteristic lipid-rich organelles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful method for the ultrastructural observation of organelles. To understand the mechanism for formation of these lipid-rich organelles in tapetum and male gametophyte, I made an organelle-map using transmission electron microscopy in wild-type Arabidopsis. Digital TEM images were captured by a custom auto-acquisition system and merged by an auto-image tiling program. Furthermore, I analyzed the Arabidopsis mutants of lipid metabolism and described the role of lipids on the male gametophyte and tapetum development. It is becoming clear that some lipids are critical for tapetal lipid-rich organelles.

Free Research Field

植物細胞形態学