PomBase home

Reference - PMID:33375328 - Quick-Freeze, Deep-Etch Electron Microscopy Reveals the Characteristic Architecture of the Fission Yeast Spore.

Reference summary

PubMed ID
PMID:33375328
Title
Quick-Freeze, Deep-Etch Electron Microscopy Reveals the Characteristic Architecture of the Fission Yeast Spore.
Authors
Tahara YO, Miyata M, Nakamura T
Citation
J Fungi (Basel) 2020 Dec 26;7(1)
Publication year
2020
Abstract
The spore of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a dormant cell that is resistant to a variety of environmental stresses. The S. pombe spore is coated by a proteinaceous surface layer, termed the Isp3 layer because it comprises mainly Isp3 protein. Although thin-section electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy have revealed the fundamental structure of the spore, its architecture remains unclear. Here we visualized S. pombe spores by using a quick-freeze replica electron microscopy (QFDE-EM) at nanometer resolution, which revealed novel characteristic structures. QFDE-EM revealed that the Isp3 layer exists as an interwoven fibrillar layer. On the spore cell membrane, many deep invaginations, which are longer than those on the vegetative cell membrane, are aligned in parallel. We also observed that during spore germination, the cell surface changes from a smooth to a dendritic filamentous structure, the latter being characteristic of vegetative cells. These findings provide significant insight into not only the structural composition of the spore, but also the mechanism underlying the stress response of the cell.

Annotation

GO biological process

GO:0030476 - ascospore wall assembly

Genes:

GO cellular component

GO:1990916 - Isp3 layer of spore wall

Genes: