[Ultrastructure and pigment composition of Sagittaria sagittifolia L. leaves].

Comparative analysis of the cellular ultrastructure and pigment content of both submerged and above-water Sagittaria sagittifolia leaves with transmission electron microscopic and biochemical methods were realized. Essential distinctions of S. sagittifolia ultrastructure of photosynthesizing cells in submerged leaves were revealed during the comparison with those in mesophyll cells of above-water leaves. The changes of chloroplast ultrastructure in submerged leaves are examined as the adaptative signs of photosynthesizing cells under influence of altered environment.

[Cytochemical and biochemical study of cellulose content and localization in Slum latifolium leaves under condition of water deficit].

The distribution of cellulose in the cells of epidermis and mesophyll of Sium latifolium leaves at the phases of flowering and seedling by the laser-confocal microscopic method has been investigated. The dependence of the relative content of cellulose in cell walls on the tissue type, phase of plant ontogenesis and the environment conditions has been established by using of PASCAL Program. It has been revealed that moderate water deficit leads to decrease of amorphous cellulose content and to increase of crystalline cellulose content during plant growth.

High phosphorylase activity is correlated with increased potato minituber formation and starch content during extended clinorotation.

The major purpose of these experiments were to investigate growth of potato storage organs and starch synthesis in minitubers at slow horizontal clinorotation (2 rpm), which partly mimics microgravity, and a secondary goal was to study the activity and localization of phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) in storage parenchyma under these conditions. Miniplants of Solanum tuberosum L. (cv Adreta) were grown in culture for 30 days for both the vertical control and the horizontal clinorotation. During long-term clinorotation, an acceleration of minituber formation, and an increase of amyloplast number and size in storage parenchyma cells, as well as increased starch content, was observed in the minitubers. The differences among cytochemical reaction intensity, activity of phosphorylase, and carbohydrate content in storage parenchyma cells of minitubers grown in a horizontal clinostat were established by electron-cytochemical and biochemical methods. It is shown that high phosphorylase activity is correlated with increased starch content during extended clinorotation. The results demonstrate the increase in carbohydrate metabolism and possible accelerated growth of storage organs under the influence of microgravity, as mimicked by clinorotation; therefore, clinorotation can be used as a basis for future studies on mechanisms of starch synthesis under microgravity.

Effect of simulated microgravity on potato minituber formation and structure.

The effect of long-term clinorotation on potato minituber formation and the structural-functional organization of storage parenchyma cell in minitubers has been studied by using methods of organ culture in vitro, light- and electron microscopy, biochemistry as well as phenological observation. It was established some acceleration of growth, changes in the parenchyma cell ultrastructure and in the starch content as well as an intensification of phosphorylase activity in the storage tissue of minitubers under the influence of simulated microgravity.

The effects of extended clinorotation on potato minituber formation and structure.

Formation and structure of potato minitubers grown aseptically for 30 days on a horizontal clinostat and in stationary control have been studied by light and electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the number of plants that formed minitubers, their size and fresh weight, was higher when clino-rotated than in the stationary control. It was revealed that the amount of amyloplasts in parenchyma cell sections was doubled in minitubers formed under clino-rotation. Other factors (shape of minitubers and size of reserve parenchyma cells) did not differ from the stationary control. The changes in amyloplast ultrastructure suggest accelerated cell maturity of potato reserve parenchyma in extended clino-rotation.

The interaction of microgravity and ethylene on the ultrastructure cell and Ca2+ localization in soybean hook hypocotyl.

Calcium ions are secondary messenger in numerous cellular processes of plant grown at 1 g. Ca2+ are connected with oxygen atoms, of pectin carboxy groups and/or with H(+)-groups of protein (Roux and Slocum, 1982; Hepler and Wayne, 1985). The influence of altered gravity on the calcium balance in some cells is established. The increased synthesis of ethylene in plant grown in microgravity caused the change of the structural-functional organization of cell (Hensel and Iversen, 1980; Hilaire et al., 1996). Available data put the new question: how do high ethylene level and microgravity influence on the redistribution of Ca2+ in cell of seedling in early stage of growth? Therefore, the goal of our data was the comparable study of the cell ulltrastructure and localization of Ca2+ in hook hypocotyl of soybean seedling under interaction of microgravity and ethylene.

Effects of microgravity on the susceptibility of soybean to Phytophthora sojae.

The study of pathogenicity of higher plants under conditions of microgravity is of great importance for the future production of food in space. Previous work suggests that microgravity affects both microbes and plants. Bacterial numbers increased after 17 days in an algae-bacterium association on the biosatellite "Kosmos-1887". This was speculated to result from an increase in the multiplication rate of the bacteria. Sporangia of both Actinomices brevis, in the shuttles "Soyuz-19" and "Appolon", and Phycomyces blakes, in biosatellite "Kosmos-936", formed after 10 days in microgravity. Sporangia did not form in the ground controls in the same time suggesting that the rate of fungal development is enhanced in microgravity. Plant responses to pathogens in microgravity have not been studied, however, microgravity profoundly impacts plant cell development, cytology, and physiology. In microgravity, developing cell walls are thinner and contain less lignin than ground-grown plants. The demonstrated effects of microgravity on both plants and microbes lead us to hypothesize that plants may be more susceptible to pathogens under conditions of microgravity. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of microgravity on the susceptibility of soybean to the fungal root rot pathogen, Phytophthora sojae.

Effects of weightlessness on photosynthesizing cells structure of plant.

It was established early that the signs of accelerated aging of both plant leaves and of moss chloronema were observed in seedlings of high plants and in Funaria hygrometrica protonema under long term growing under weightlessness. It was observed the structure changing of photosynthesizing cells in Arabidopsis thaliana, Epidendrum radicans and Pisum sativum leaves. Authors found out the extension and vesiculation of thylakoids between chloroplast granas. They observed thylakoids partly destroying under 96 and 110 days microgravity influence. But some questions are still opened: 1. Are these changes consequence of accelerated differentiation and aging photosynthesizing cells? 2. Do the definite changes appear in photosynthesizing cells during short-term microgravity influence? Therefore the study of mesophyll cells ultrastructure of leaves that finished growth by tension in microgravity was the idea of our experiment.