In addition to starch and protein, the starchy endosperm is a repository for nucleic acids and micronutrients.
From this it can be concluded that it takes 5 days for all the starchy endosperm cells to lose plasma membrane integrity.
Since they do not surround starchy tissue which requires hydrolysis during germination, it is unlikely that this aleurone produces large quantities of -amylases.
The secretory apparatus of the aleurone then proliferates, supporting increased hydrolase synthesis and secretion to degrade the starchy endosperm.
The amylases that degrade the starchy endosperm after germination are largely secreted by the aleurone layer after imbibition.
However, we will come back to the problem of small starchy seeds later.
Thus, there is no clear ultrastructural characterization of how starchy endosperm cells die during development.
Three classes of aleurone cells are distinct from the typical aleurone surrounding most of the starchy endosperm.
