Open AccessCYTOCHEMICAL REACTIVITY OF POLLEN WALLS
Author(s) -
Darlene Southworth
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry/the journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.971
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1551-5044
pISSN - 0022-1554
DOI - 10.1177/21.1.73
Subject(s) - sporopollenin , pollen , staining , lignin , callose , metachromasia , botany , polysaccharide , cytochemistry , chemistry , biology , cellulose , xyloglucan , hemicellulose , ultrastructure , biochemistry , cell wall , genetics
Cytochemical staining reactions in pollen grain walls of three species of Compositae, Ambrosia trifida, Artemisia pycnocephala and Gerbera jamesonii, were examined. The intine gives positive reactions for protein and for insoluble polysaccharides including pectic acid, callose and hemicellulose. The exine gives positive reactions for protein and for extractable lipids. In addition the structural material of the exine, sporopollenin, gives positive reactions for aliphatic double bonds and for closely packed anionic sites. Sporopollenin gives negative results to common cytochemical tests for lignin but reacts the same as lignin to metachromatic dyes. Some staining differences between exine-1 and exine-2 were noted.