ULTRASTRUCTURE OF DNA-CONTAINING AREAS IN THE CHLOROPLAST OF CHLAMYDOMONAS

The chloroplast of Chlamydomonas moewusii was examined by electron microscopic and cytochemical methods for the possible presence of DNA. Both the Feulgen reaction and acridine orange indicated the presence within the chloroplast of one or more irregularly shaped DNA-containing bodies generally in the vicinity of the pyrenoid. Electron micrographs revealed 25 A microfibrils in these areas which correspond to DNA macromolecules with respect to their location, morphology, and sensitivity to deoxyribonuclease digestion. The possibility that this material is the genetic system of the chloroplast and the hypothesis that the chloroplast represents an evolved endosymbiont are discussed.