FINE STRUCUTRE OF GAS-VACUOLES RELEASED FROM CELLS OF BLUE-GREEN ALGA ANABAENA FLOS-AQUAE

Cells of the blue-green alga Anabaena flos-aquae were ruptured and the gas-cylinders, which comprise the gas-vacuoles, were released. The gas-cylinders released retained their same shape and structure: 70 mμ or more wide, 0.2-0.9 μ long, with conical ends. Staining with phosphotungstic acid showed the membrane to be made up of particles arranged in rows, about 5 mμ apart, running round the cylinder at right angles to the long axis. Some of the cylinders became flattened during the preparation. Rounding-off of the gas-cylinders on isolation, described by others, was not encountered. However, some of the isolated gas-cylinders were considerably wider than 70 mμ and it is possible that they tend to shorten and widen on isolation from the cell. © 1968 Springer-Verlag.