Multinucleate cyst formation in Acetabularia mediterranea after x-irradiation.

Cells of Acetabularia mediterranea were irradiated with increasing doses of X-rays (64.5-258·10(-4) kC kg(-1)). The cells are radioresistant up to 193.5·10(-4) kC kg(-1) in terms of growth and progression through he life cycle but the morphogenesis of whorls, caps, and cysts is accompanied by morphological alterations. Microscopical examination of cyst bearing caps in irradiated cells has shown the presence of giant cysts neighboring particularly small ones. Photographic recording of cyst development showed that the multinucleate cap cytoplasm partitions into multinucleate portions rather than uninucleate ones as in the control cells. After complete cleavage a cyst wall is deposited onto the multinucleate cytoplasm. In contrast to uninucleate cysts with one lid the wall contains multiple lids. Their number appears to correspond to the number of nuclei in the cytoplasm compartment during cleavage. The results indicate that X-rays preferentially inhibit the synthesis of a factor which plays a role in establishing the normal spatial morphogenetic pattern necessary for cyst formation.