Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR
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Kutík, J.; Holá, D.; Kočová, M.; Rothová, O.; Haisel, Daniel; Wilhelmová, Naděžda; Tichá, I.
PHOTOSYNTHETICA 42 [3]: 447-455, 2004

Keywords: bundle sheath cells; electron microscopy; genotypes
Abstract: Influence of moderate chilling stress on vascular bundle sheath cell (BSC) and especially mesophyll cell (MC) chloroplasts of mature maize leaves was studied by electron microscopy and stereology. Plants of two inbred lines of maize, differing in their photosynthetic activity, and their F1 hybrids were cultivated during autumn in heated or unheated glasshouse. Generally, chilling temperatures resulted mainly in the decrease in stereological volume density (VD) of both granal and intergranal thylakoids of MC chloroplasts, while the ratio of granal to all thylakoids (granality) was less affected. The VD of peripheral reticulum and plastoglobuli usually increased after cold treatment of plants. The volume of MC chloroplasts usually increased under chilling stress, the shape of the chloroplasts changed only slightly. The ultra-structure of chloroplasts differed between individual genotypes; chilling-stressed hybrid plants showed positive heterosis particularly in the granal thylakoids' VD of MC chloroplasts. IEB authors: Daniel Haisel, Naďa Wilhelmová