Plant Diversity ›› 2007, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (04): 418-422.

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Study on Degeneration of Unfertilized Aposporous Embryo Sac in Pennisetum squamulatium (Gramineae)

LIU Lin1 , 2 , YE Xiu-Lin2   

  1. 1 Linyi Normal University , Linyi 276005 , China; 2 South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 , China
  • Received:2006-10-09 Online:2007-08-25 Published:2007-08-25

Abstract: To understand the degeneration of unfertilized aposporous embryo sac in an aposporous species Pennisetum squamulatum, the central cell in the unfertilized embryo sac was characterized ultrastructurally . The most prominent sign of degeneration is that the central cell nucleus produced nuclear vacuoles . These nuclear vacuoles can be classified into singleand
double- layered types . Single- layered nuclear vacuoles are found in the cytoplasm, while the double-layered are inside the nucleus . There are two ways to produce nuclear vacuoles . One is that the outer membrane of the nuclear envelope distends towards the cytoplasm to form nuclear vacuoles ; and the other is the double-layered nuclear envelope derives vacuoles by depressing inwards . Nuclear envelope types are in relation to the ways they are produced . All nuclear vacuoles absorb cytoplasm or nuclear matrix , and trap organelles such as mitochondria .

Key words: Embryo sac degeneration

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