“Elaioplasts” of Haemanthus albiflos are true lipotubuloids: cytoplasmic domains rich in lipid bodies entwined by microtubules

Abstract

In the cells of Haemanthus albiflos leaf epidermis there are structures containing lipids analogous to ''elaioplasts'' (Wakker in Jahrb F Wiss Bot 19:423-496, 1888). Ultrastructural analysis has shown that they are cytoplasmic domains-lipotubuloids, since they exhibit all the features of Ornithogalum umbellatum lipotubuloids. They are composed of numerous lipid bodies surrounded by microtubules, ER cisternae and vesicles, some mitochondria, Golgi structures, and microbodies. In the center of some lipotubuloids there are also autolytic vacuoles. Microtubules adjacent to H. albiflos lipid bodies were revealed only when taxol preincubation was used before fixing the epidermis in the mixture of glutaraldehyde and OsO 4 . The presence of tubulin in H. albiflos and O. umbellatum lipotubuloids was confirmed with use of the immunogold method involving antibodies against tubulin a. It is possible that the association of microtubules with lipid bodies may be more common than originally thought, but it is difficult to reveal due to the methodological problems.

Immunogold method evidences that kinesin and myosin bind to and couple microtubules and actin filaments in lipotubuloids of Ornithogalum umbellatum ovary epidermis

“…Lipotubuloids were also observed in other plants: Haemantus albiflos (Kwiatkowska et al 2010) Althaea rosea, Funkia Siebildiana, Vanilla planifolia (Kwiatkowska et al 2011a). …”

Lipotubuloids - Structure and Function

“…Lipotubuloids were first reported in O. umbellatum, however recently they have also been identified in Haemanthus albiflos (Fig. 4) (Kwiatkowska et al, 2010), where they were previously described as "elaioplasts" by Politis (1911) and Tourte (1964Tourte ( , 1966. These structures are also present in Vanilla planifolia, Funkia Sieboldiana and Athaea rosea (Kwiatkowska et al, 2011a) in which they were previously called "elaioplasts" by Wakker (1888), Zimmermann (1893), Wałek-Czernecka & Kwiatkowska (1961), respectively.…”

“…4. Fragments of Haemanthus albiflos lipotubuloid with various organelles (A) and moreover with microbodies (B); av -autolytic vacuole, d -dictyosome, ER -endoplasmic reticulum, lb -lipid bodies, m -mitochondria, mb -microbodies, t -tonoplast; bars: 1 m (A), 0.6 m (B) (Kwiatkowska et al, 2010). …”

“…5). The presence of tubulin around lipid bodies was confirmed by the immunogold method with the anti-tubulin antibody (Kwiatkowska et al, 2010).…”

DGAT2 revealed by the immunogold technique in Arabidopsis thaliana lipid bodies associated with microtubules

“…It has been demonstrated that there is a relationship between lipid bodies and microtubules in some species [14][15][16][17][18][19]; therefore, we wanted to check whether it referred also to A. thaliana.…”