Fig. 3
From: Isolation and manipulation of protoplasts from the unicellular green alga Penium margaritaceum
Differential interference contrast (DIC) (a) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images (b–f) showing the ultrastructure of protoplast formation. a During the first minutes of incubation in PB, the protoplast plasmolyzes and separates from the cell wall; however, numerous fine strands (arrow), i.e., Hechtian strands become apparent. b Hechtian strands bind the plasma membrane to the cell wall (arrows). c One end of the strands is connected to the inner layer of the cell wall (arrows). d The other end of the strands emerge from the plasma membrane (arrows). e Cross section through the plasmolyzed cell reveals that the strands are organized in arrays (arrows). f Protoplast. Note the nucleus (N), the pyrenoid of the chloroplast (Py) and the absence of a cell wall (arrow). CW, cell wall IL, cellulose-rich inner layer IS, intracellular space Pe, periplasm PM, plasma membrane. Scale bars: a = 2 µm; b–e = 100 nm; f = 500 nm