3-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF GLYCOSOMES IN TRYPANOSOMATIDS OF THE GENUS PHYTOMONAS

Computer aided three dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of cells from two isolates of protozoa of the genus Phytomonas, trypanosomatids found in plants, were made from 0.3 mu m thick sections, imaged on a Zeiss 902 electron microscope with a energy filter for inellastically scattered electrons, in order to obtain information about glycosomal shape diversity, Direct counts of peroxisomes (glycosomes) from Phytomonas sp. from Chamaesyce thymifolia indicated that there were fewer glycosomes per cell than the simple count of ultrathin section profiles would suggest and that these organelles could be long and branched. On the other hand, the stacked glycosomes observed in the isolate from Euphorbia characias were small individual structures and no connection was seen between them.