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Observations on the Chromatinic Bodies of Two Species of the Actinoplanaceae
Abstract
SUMMARY: The structure and distribution of the chromatinic bodies of two species of the genus Actinoplanes were studied with light microscopy. Results obtained from observation of material stained by the technique of DeLamater (1951), Feulgen (Rafalko, 1946), or Piéchaud (1954), were supplemented by observation of living material. A technique for observing living and stained preparations with phase-contrast or dark-field microscopy gave results far superior to those obtained with bright-field microscopy. Both strains studied had a nearly identical structure and distribution of chromatinic bodies. Colonies consisted of two hyphal types; substrate hyphae and palisade hyphae (Couch, 1950). The chromatinic bodies of the substrate hyphae appeared variously as short rods or as small bands of material that extended across the width of the hyphae. The palisade hyphae contained bodies ranging from dumb-bell shaped structures to multiple entities composed of 3-4 interconnected sub-units. The distal portions contained dense rods of chromatinic material. The chromatinic rods of the palisade hyphae progressed into the sporangium along with the ingrowth of the sporogenic hyphae into the sporangial envelope. Within the sporangium these rods appeared to contract and undergo repeated divisions into smaller subunits; a single subunit was incorporated into each spore. A striking similarity in structure and distribution of the chromatinic bodies was noted between members of the Actinoplanaceae and members of the Streptomycetaceae.
- Accepted:
- Published Online:
© Society for General Microbiology 1968