[ATPase distribution in fertile and sterile anther of a genic male sterile Chinese cabbage].

Lead precipitation technique was used to locate Adenosine Triphosphatase (ATPase) in the fertile and sterile anthers of a genic male sterile Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Chinensis Makino var. communis Tsen et Lee),which would help us to understand the relationship between ATPase and sterility of anthers of the cabbage. At megaspore mother cell (MMC) of fertile anther many ATPase reactive precipitates were located in nucleus but few of the precipitates in cytoplasm of the cell. Meantime, some ATPase reactive precipitates also specially appeared in mitochondria of the MMC. After meiosis of MMC, the precipitates in cytoplasm of early microspores increased evidently and then decreased step by step with development. The ATPase reactive precipitates in tapetal cell also increased ultimately in early microspore stage and then decreased with development of anther. When microspore formed a large vacuole, which is late stage of microspore, the ATPase reactive precipitates were located in its mitochondria. After microspores mitosis a few of the ATPase reactive precipitates appeared in pollen grains and tapetal cells. More ATPase reactive precipitates appear in MMC of sterile anther than in fertile anther but fewer of them in mitochondria. Although more ATPase granules appear in abnormal tetrad microspores which degenerate by cytoplasm shrinkage and plasmolysis. The relation between ATPase and male sterility of the cabbage was discussed.