Organization of the endoplasmic reticulum in cells of effective and ineffective pea nodules (Pisum sativum L.)
Background. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the largest membrane-bound organelle, which plays an important role in the functioning of a plant cell and participates in its differentiation. Materials and methods. Using the methods of transmission electron microscopy, the morphological features and dynamics of structural changes in the ER in symbiotic nodules of pea (Pisum sativum L.) wild-type and mutants blocked at different stages of nodule development were studied. Results. ER developed from a network of individual tubules in meristematic cells, to a developed network of cisterns around the nucleus and plasmalemma, and a network of granular and smooth tubules accompanying infection structures in colonized and infected cells and symbiosomes in infected cells. Conclusions. A correlation was found between the level of development of the ER network and the degree of bacteroid differentiation.