Developmental changes in the inner epidermis of the bean seed coat
Date
1990
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Abstract
The inner epidermis of the bean seed coat shows remarkable
structural changes during seed development. At the globular
stage of development, a moderately electron-dense substance
begins to accumulate in the outer tangential and radial walls of the
cells. The staining and fluorescence characteristics, together with the
localization ofperoxidase in the wall, suggest that this electron-dense
material is a phenolic substance. At the same stage of embryo development,
structural specialization can be detected in the cytoplasm
of the epidermal cells with an increase in the abundance of organelles,
especially the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and dictyosomes.
These structural features are similar to those in the underlying
branched parenchyma cells. As the seed rapidly expands during the
maturation stage of embryo development, the epidermal cells and
the inner layers of the branched parenchyma cells begin to degenerate.
Small ruptures can be detected in the epidermis, exposing the
branched parenchyma cells. These structural changes are discussed
in relation to their possible functions during embryo development.
Description
Keywords
Biology
Citation
E. C. Yeung and M. J. Cavey "Developmental changes in the inner epidermis of the bean seed coat" Protoplasma (1990) 154:45-52