Abstract
The morphological changes induced in leaf cells of Nicotiana glutinosa by CMV-Y have something in common both with those found in virus-infected animals, and with those induced in plants following lacking of mineral elements or mutation. As to the chloroplasts, the alterations are different in leaf areas showing different macroscopical changes. In leaves with mottling the chloroplasts have fragmented lamellae and are often deeply indented. In leaves with chlorotic areas a great number of chloroplasts are exceedingly small, while in dark green areas the chloroplasts contain a number of vesicles and often have ruptured membranes. The tonoplast often disappears, so that the cells become uniformly filled with altered cytoplasmic organelles. The ribosomes are numerous, sometimes aggregated in small groups (infective polysomes?). The Golgi complex gives rise to a great number of vesicles, thus showing an increased activity. The cytoplasm becomes vacuolated and shows masses of membranes often arranged in myelin-like figures. Virus particles have been observed in all leaf areas, but differently aggregated. Only in the parenchymal cells of the yellow leaf areas the virus particles form crystalline aggregates. The virus size is about 29 μ, as already stated in negative stained preparations of isolated particles.