The role of golgi bodies in polysaccharide sulphation in Fucus zygotes

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The cell wall of 24-h zygotes of Fucus serratus is composed of 3 layers -an inner fibrillar layer (sulphated fucan), an outer fibrillar layer (alginic acid/cellulose) and an exterior amorphous layer (sulphated fucan, alginic acid). The 2 layers containing sulphated fucan are preferentially thickened at the rhizoid pole. Light- and electron-microscope autoradiographic pulse-chase experiments on 22-h zygotes using 56SO3-show the Golgi bodies to be the sites of fucan sulphation. The isolation and characterization of isolated organelle fractions from 22-h zygotes is described. Biochemical analysis of isolated Golgi-rich fractions from 22-h zygotes shows that the first detectable labelled macromolecule is associated with these fractions 2 min after addition of 56SO24-. The sulphate acceptor molecule has been partially characterized. 56S-APS and 56S-PAPS are detectable in the soluble fraction 0·5 min after addition of 56SO24-. The results are discussed in relation to other published work on the differentiation of Fucus embryos and on polysaccharide sulphation.