Death of mitochondria during programmed cell death of leaf mesophyll cells

Abstract

The role of plant mitochondria in the programmed cell death (PCD) is widely discussed. However, spectrum and sequence of mitochondrial structural changes during different types of PCD in leaves are poorly described. Pea, cucumber and rye plants were grown under controlled growing conditions. A part of them were sprinkled with ethylene releaser to accelerate cell death. During yellowing the palisade parenchyma mitochondria were attracted to nuclear envelope. Mitochondrial matrix became electron translucent. Mitochondria entered vacuole by invagination of tonoplast and formed multivesicular bodies. Ethephon treatment increased the frequency of sticking of mitochondria to the nuclear envelope or chloroplasts and peroxisomes. Mitochondria divided by different mechanisms and became enclosed in Golgi and ER derived authopagic vacuoles or in the central vacuole. Several fold increase of the diameter of cristae became typical. In all cases mitochondria were attached to nuclear envelope. It can be considered as structural mechanism of promoting of PCD.

Comparative survey of plastid and mitochondrial targeting properties of transcription factors in Arabidopsis and rice

“…The reason for this is unclear. A similar behavior was recently reported for mitochondria that seem to accumulate close to the nuclear envelope in leaf mesophyll cells undergoing programmed cell death (Selga et al 2005).…”

Sub-cellular distribution of glutathione in an Arabidopsis mutant (vtc1) deficient in ascorbate

“…Mitochondria have been considered to be implicated in the induction of PCD in mammals and plants (Jones, 2000;Matsumura et al, 2003;Yao et al, 2004;Vianello et al, 2007). PCD involves a number of modifications, among them alterations of the mitochondrial ultrastructure (Selga et al, 2005), and the mitochondria of the vtc1 mutant have an altered ultrastructure, with amorphous inclusions (Olmos et al, 2006). Therefore, our results demonstrated a redistribution of glutathione in vtc1 maybe related with the microlesions observed by Pavet et al (2005).…”

The participation of plant cell organelles in compatible and incompatible potato virus Y-tobacco and -potato plant interaction

“…Localisation of PVY capsid protein allowed noting the presence of this protein inside mitochondria (on advanced infection stages), while during HR (3 days after inoculation) PVY CP was localised in the vicinity of mitochondrial envelope. Analogical changes in mitochondria structure were observed by Selga et al (2005) during leaf blades mesophyll programmed cell death (PCD) resulted from factitious ethylene release leading in a consequence to chromatin condensation and nucleus fragmentation (Selga and Selga 1993). Electron-lucent areas inside the mitochondria were referred as these organelles vacuolisation, leading to cristae hyper-swelling (Selga et al 2005).…”

“…Analogical changes in mitochondria structure were observed by Selga et al (2005) during leaf blades mesophyll programmed cell death (PCD) resulted from factitious ethylene release leading in a consequence to chromatin condensation and nucleus fragmentation (Selga and Selga 1993). Electron-lucent areas inside the mitochondria were referred as these organelles vacuolisation, leading to cristae hyper-swelling (Selga et al 2005). The phenomenon also noted during PCD was separation of exosomes from mitochondria to cytosol.…”