Three-dimensional reconstruction of three fusing syncytial-type cell plates in Arabidopsis endosperm. The electron tomogram on which this reconstruction is based was obtained by recording images every 1.5° from 60°/ to +60° along two orthogonal axes of two serial 250 nm-thick sections of a high-pressure frozen/freeze substituted developing seed. The organelles depicted in this tomographic model are three joining cell plates (yellow), clathrin-coated budding vesicles (red), non-coated vesicles (light green), a multivesicular body (white), and a Golgi stack (turquoise). Microtubules are colored in purple and actin filaments in orange. On pages 2033-2051 of this issue, Otegui et al. demonstrate how this novel technique can be used to investigate the 3-D architecture of syncytial-type cell plates at ~6 nm resolution. This resolution allows researchers to identify specific molecular complexes, such as dynamin rings and kinesin motor proteins, and to map their cytoplasmic distribution.
[Table of Contents]
