Rearrangements of F‐actin during Stomatogenesis Visualised by Confocal Microscopy in Fixed and Permeabilised Tradescantia Leaf Epidermis

New details of F‐actin organisation in leaf epidermal and stomatal cells were revealed by rhodamine — and fluorescein — phalloidin staining of fixed epidermal peels of Tradescantia virginiana and visualisation by confocal microscopy. Non‐specialised epidermal cells contain highly organised arrays of fine cortical actin filaments aligned in transverse or oblique orientations. In interphase guard mother cells (GMCs), the arrangement of cortical F‐actin changes on the periclinal and anticlinal cell walls at different times during differentiation. Initially, cortical F‐actin on the periclinal surfaces is oriented transversely and F‐actin is evenly distributed around the anticlinal walls. Following polarisation of the adjacent subsidiary mother cells (SMCs), actin in GMCs concentrates on the lateral anticlinal walls, but not on the transverse walls. Subsequently, F‐actin on the periclinal walls reorients to radial and then longitudinal. Organisation of F‐actin in SMCs appears to be influenced by the adjacent GMCs and co‐ordination in F‐actin arrangements in cells of the stomatal complex continues through to the formation of the guard cell pair. Our studies indicate that actin bands marking the division site in prophase cells, and detected in microinjected living material, are a particularly labile subset of F‐actin. Actin bands were difficult to preserve, even when aldehyde fixation was avoided, in contrast to all interphase and mitotic F‐actin.