Biochemical cytology and biochemistry of germination

TL;DRAbstract

The potential of appropriately induced spores to germinate depends upon the sequential unfolding of a predetermined program of metabolic processes and regulatory mechanisms that control cell differentiation. Since germination of fern spores is accomplished in a closed system – that is, without the intake of any external nutrients, the synthetic processes must occur at the expense of the stored reserves. Thus, the first order of business of a germinating spore is hydrolysis of its storage reserves to simple compounds. Equally pressing is the need to replenish the structural proteins of the cytoplasm and the complement of enzymes required for general cellular metabolism. At the same time, a sustained biogenesis of membrane systems and organelles also occurs in the spore. Not long after these events, cell division ensues with all the complex biochemical processes it entails, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and protein synthesis and assembly of the mitotic spindle. Unlike the angiosp

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