ONLINE IMAGE COLLECTION

About the Image

Differential interference contrast (DIC) image (×400) of programmed cell death (PCD) in epidermal cells of a young lace plant leaf at the “window stage” of development (whole-mount). PCD, occurring throughout the plant life cycle, from the fertilization of the ovule to the death of the whole plant, plays a major role in plant development. PCD remodels the leaves of the lace plant, from an initially simple form to a more complex lattice-like shape. The perforations in the lattice are formed by PCD at a predictable location between longitudinal and transverse veins of a young “window stage” leaf. Perforations begin in the center of an aerole and develop toward the vascular tissue creating a gradient as shown (top to bottom) in this picture. Several cells at the top are at an advanced stage of PCD, marked by retraction of the plasma membrane from the cell wall. The cells at the center have lost most of their chloroplasts, but the remaining chloroplasts can be seen in a ring surrounding the nucleus. Cells at the bottom of the image are at a less advanced stage of PCD. The morphology of this aquatic leaf and the predictability of cell death make the lace plant an excellent model for studying developmentally regulated PCD in vivo.

For further detail, see: Wright et al.—In vivo study of developmental programmed cell death using the lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis; Aponogetonaceae) leaf model system, Volume 96, Issue 5, pages 865–876. Photo Credit: Harrison Wright.