The Fine Structure of some Dry Seed Tissues Observed after Completely Anhydrous Chemical Fixation
Abstract
Abstract Completely anhydrous fixation with acrolein vapour or osmium tetroxide vapour was applied to tissues of air-dry seeds: the coleoptile of wheat ( Trilicum aestivum ), and plumule and radicle of mung bean ( Vigna radiata ). Great shrinkage of cells and organelles was noted, but all the usual organelles could be identified, except for Golgi bodies and (in most cases) ribosomes. The endoplasmic reticulum was very abundant and endoplasmic reticulum tubules were closely associated with the storage organelles, namely lipid bodies in the wheat coleoptile, and protein bodies in the mung bean embryo axis. Aqueous fixation resulted in considerable distortion of cellular structure.