Fig. 8.

Mutation of SRA1 in tomato affects cell anatomy of stem tissue.

Cross sections of stem tissue from WT, hl, and SRA1-complemented lines (SRA1-2 and SRA1-10) were stained with Safranin O and Fast Green. (A) Cells within the secondary xylem and pith regions of hl contain red-colored granular structures (arrows) that are less prevalent in WT and SRA1-complemented lines. (B) Bast fibers of hl stems have thicker cell walls (arrows) than those of WT and SRA1-complemented line stems. (C) Quantification of cell wall thickness of bast fibers. Data show the mean (±SE) cell wall thickness of at least 60 of bast fibers from three biological replicates per genotype. Asterisks represent significant differences between hl and other genotypes (unpaired t-test: ***, P<0.001). Scale bars: 100 µm (A); 50 µm (B).