Figure 2.

Protein body and starch grain development in WT and o3 mutant endosperm cells.

(A) Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and protein body I (PBI) were observed in WT endosperm cells at 12 DAF.

(B and C) The Golgi apparatus and dense vesicles (DVs) in WT endosperm cells.

(D–F) Small protein bodies (blue arrows) remaining in the terminal of ER or ER-derived vesicles and PBI or PBII were observed in o3 endosperm cells.

(G) The Golgi apparatus and DVs in o3 endosperm cells.

(H) The structure of fragmentized protein bodies (red dotted box) was observed in o3 endosperm cells.

(I) The structure of the fusion of PBI and PBII was observed in o3 endosperm cells.

(J–O) Semi-thin sections of WT (J–L) and o3(M–O) endosperm at 9 DAF.

(J and M) The peripheral region of the endosperm. (K, L, N, and O) The central region of the endosperm.

Stars indicate aleurone cells in (J) and (M). Red dotted lines indicate an endosperm cell of o3 filled with abundant single and dispersed starch granules (SGs). Scale bars, 1 μm (A–E), (H), and (I), 0.2 μm (F) and (G), and 20 μm (J–O).