Brefeldin A action and recovery in Chlamydomonas are rapid and involve fusion and fission of Golgi cisternae

Chlamydomonas noctigama has a non-motile Golgi apparatus consisting of several Golgi stacks adjacent to transitional ER. These domains are characterized by vesicle-budding profiles and the lack of ribosomes on the side of the ER proximal to the Golgi stacks. Immunogold labelling confirms the presence of COPI-proteins at the periphery of the Golgi stacks, and COPII-proteins at the ER-Golgi interface. After addition of BFA (10 mu g/ml) a marked increase in the number of vesicular profiles lying between the ER and the Golgi stacks is seen. Serial sections of cells do not provide any evidence for the existence of tubular connections between the ER and the Golgi stacks, supporting the notion that COPI- but not COPII-vesicle production is affected by BFA. The fusion of COPII-vesicles at the cis-Golgi apparatus apparently requires the presence of retrograde COPI-vesicles. After 15 min the cisternae of neighbouring Golgi stacks begin to fuse forming mega-Golgis, which gradually curl before fragmenting into clusters of vesicles and tubules. These are surrounded by the transitional ER on which vesicle-budding profiles are still occasionally visible. Golgi remnants continue to survive for several hours and do not completely disappear. Washing out BFA leads to a very rapid reassembly of Golgi cisternae. At first, clusters of vesicles are seen adjacent to transitional ER, then mini Golgis are seen whose cisternae grow in length and number to produce mega Golgis. These structures then divide by vertical fission to produce Golgi stacks of normal size and morphology roughly 60 min after drug wash-out.