Ultrastructures of the Golgi Body and Cell Surface in Cyanidioschyzon merolae

Abstract

The presence of a Golgi body and a cell wall in Cyanidioschyzon merolae was re-examined by electron microscopy after rapid-freeze substitution fixation to understand the minimum ultrastructural characteristics of eukaryotes. C. merolae cells contained one Golgi body which was composed of one to two cisternae, transfer vesicles and secretory vesicles. A trans-Golgi network was not seen, but association between the transfer vesicles and the nuclear membrane was often observed. The cells did not have a cell wall, but were covered by many filaments which were protruded from a thin electron-dense layer on the exterior surface of the cell membrane.