THE EFFECTS OF BREFELDIN-A UPON THE GOLGI-APPARATUS OF THE GREEN ALGAL FLAGELLATE, GLOEOMONAS-KUPFFERI

The fungal-derived derivative, brefeldin A, was used to disrupt the Go lgi apparatus (GA) of the green alga, Gloeomonas kupfferi. Upon short treatments (10 pg ml(-1) for 10 min or less), the Golgi bodies maintai n their perinuclear positioning, However, the medial locus transforms from a tight stack of elongate cisternae to a network of swollen tubul es. Upon longer treatments (60 min), swelling and vesiculation of cis face cisternae become apparent. Likewise, the edges of several trans f ace cisternae may fuse with those of adjacent Golgi bodies leading to the formation of multi-Golgi complexes.