Fig. 4

Effects of BFA on lily pollen ultrastructure. Lily pollen grains were germinated in a medium with 1 µg/ml BFA for 1 h and analyzed using ultrastructural analysis. (A-B). BFA led to significant changes in the Golgi apparatus, with elongated cisternae forming concentric circles and partially enclosing cytoplasm. (C): Amyloplasts developed normally with an inner membrane system and abundant starch granules and tubular ER began enclosing these amyloplasts (indicated by arrows). (D): Amyloplasts contained starch granules and, occasionally, lipid bodies enclosed by double membranes (arrows). (E): Unveils a distinctive ultrastructural characteristic observed during the germination of lily pollen in the presence of 1 µg/ml BFA for 1 h. The picture emphasizes the envelopment of lipid bodies by double-membrane structures (as indicated by arrows). (F): Double-membrane structures enclosed lipid body clusters and cytoplasm in the vegetative cytoplasm. The inner image shows the double membrane’s characteristics (arrows). (G-H): Membrane-enclosed contents, including lipid bodies and cytoplasm resembling inclusion bodies, were transported to the vacuole (G). Inside the vacuole, the lipid body clusters and inner membrane gradually underwent digestion, leaving behind degraded membrane debris and lipid bodies (H). Occasionally, some lipid bodies remained in the vacuoles (I). Key components: a: amyloplast, g: Golgi apparatus, l: lipid body, m: mitochondria, s: starch granule, v: vacuole. Bars = 1 μm (A, B), 0.5 μm (C-I)