Brefeldin A Effects in Plants (Are Different Golgi Responses Caused by Different Sites of Action?).

During the past decade, BFA, a lipophilic funga1 toxin, has become a major tool of cell biologists interested in studying vesicle-mediated trafficking in animal and plant cells. Its main attractions include its ability to block secretion and to induce profound morphological changes in the organelles of the secretory and endocytic pathways in a totally reversible manner. In the plant literature, however, discrepancies have arisen about the effects of BFA on the Golgi apparatus, with some laboratories reporting a breakdown of Golgi stacks and others finding no such effect (Satiat-Jeunemaitre and Hawes, 1994). The purpose of this communication is to propose a hypothesis that can explain the two types of Golgi responses.