Fine Structural Changes in Isolated Mitochondria of Healthy and Virus-Infected Vicia Faba L.

Mitochondria within leaf cells of healthy broad bean had the normal appearance of plant mitochondria, while within cells infected with bean yellow mosaic virus they had matrices that were electron-opaque and cristae that were swollen and angular. However, upon isolation, mitochondria from healthy broad bean cells became indistinguishable from either mitochondria in situ in virus-infected cells, or from mitochondria in vitro isolated from virus-infected cells. Cristae of the isolated mitochondria were greatly inflated, while the matrices were reduced to a thin network in which spherical substructural components, 130–140 A in diameter, were visible. These changes in isolated healthy mitochondria could not be prevented by the use of tannin inhibitors. No significant differences were found in the succinoxidase activities of the isolated healthy and infected mitochondria.