Table Of ContentAlgal
Cell
Motility
Current Phycology
Series Editors: Matthew J. Dring, Queen's University Belfast
Michael Melkonian, Universitat zu Koln
Lewin and Cheng, eds. Prochloron: A Microbial Enigma
Geider and Osborne. Algal Photosynthesis: The Measurement of Algal
Gas Exchange
Algal
Cell
Motility
Edited by
Michael Melkonian
Chapman and Hall
New York and London
First published in 1992 by
Chapman and Hall
an imprint of
Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Inc.
29 West 35 Street
New York, NY 10001-2291
Published in Great Britain by
Chapman and Hall
2-6 Boundary Row
London EC1 8HN
© 1992 Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Inc.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1992
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or by an information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Algal cell motility / edited by Michael Melkonian.
p. cm.-(Current phycology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-9685-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-9683-7
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4615-9683-7
1. Algae-Cytology. 2. Cells-Motility. I. Melkonian, Michael,
1948- . II. Series.
QK565.A375 1991
589.3'8764-dc20 91-17475
CIP
British Library cataloging in publication data also available.
Contents
Contributors Vi
Preface
VB
1. Gliding Motility
Donat-P. Hader and Egbert Hoiczyk 1
2. Algal Chloroplast Movements
Gottfried Wagner and Franz Grolig 39
3. Cytoplasmic Streaming in Characean Algae: Mechanism, Regulation
by Ca2 +, and Organization
Richard E. Williamson 73
4. Flagellar Beat Patterns in Algae
Stuart F. Goldstein 99
5. Molecular Mechanism of Flagellar Movement
Ritsu Kamiya 155
6. Centrin-Mediated Cell Motility in Algae
Michael Melkonian, Peter L. Beech, Christos Katsaros, and
Dorothee Schulze 179
Taxonomic Index 222
Author Index 226
Subject Index 233
Contributors
Peter L. Beech-Universitat zu K61n, Botanisches Institut, Lehrstuhl 1, Gyrhof
strasse 15, D-5000 K6ln 41, Federal Republic of Germany
Stuart F. Goldstein-Department of Genetics & Cell Biology, 250 Biological Sci
ences Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN 55108, U.S.A.
Franz Grolig-Membran- und Bewegungsphysiologie, Botanisches Institut 1, Ju
stus-Liebig Universitat, Senckenbergstrasse 17, D-6300 Giessen, Federal Republic
of Germany
Donat-P. Hader-Institut fur Botanik und Pharmazeutische Biologie, Friedrich
Alexander-Universitat, Staudtstr. 5, D-8520 Erlagen, Federal Republic of
Germany
Egbert Hoiczyk-Institut fur Botanik und Pharmazeutische Biologie, Friedrich
Alexander-Universitat, Staudtstr. 5, D-8520 Erlangen, Federal Republic of
Germany
Ritsu Kamiya-Department of Molecular Biology, School of Science, Nagoya
University, Nagoya 464-01, Japan
Christos Katsaros-Institute of General Botany, University of Athens, Athens
15784, Greece
Michael Melkonian-Universitat zu K61n, Botanisches Institut, Lehrstuhl 1, Gyr
hofstrasse 15, D-5000 K6ln 41, Federal Republic of Germany
Dorothee Schulze-Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Wattenmeerstation List, Ha
fenstrasse 40, D-2282 List/Sylt, Federal Republic of Germany
Gottfried Wagner-Membran- und Bewegungsphysiologie, Botanisches Institut 1,
Justus-Liebig Universitat, Senckenbergstr. 17, D-6300 Giessen, Federal Republic
of Germany
Richard E. Williamson-Plant Cell Biology Group, Research School of Biological
Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, Australia
Preface
Algae exhibit the greatest variety of cell motility phenomena in the living
world. These range from the peculiar gliding motility of filamentous blue
green algae or cyanobacteria to chloroplast movements and cytoplasmic
streaming which are most common in higher plants. In addition, cell motility
by eukaryotic flagella is the characteristic mode of cell locomotion in algal
flagellates and most reproductive cells of algae. Algae use these cell motility
systems mainly to orient themselves or their photosynthetic organelles in a
suitable light gradient to optimize growth and reproduction. In consequence
most of the motility systems are coupled to photoreceptors and are regulated
by signal transduction cascades. Algal cell motility has thus attracted consid
erable interest also from non-phycologists and some algal motility systems
have become models of research in cell and molecular biology. This book
summarizes some of the progress that has been made in recent years in the
analysis of cell motility phenomena in the algae. Although complete coverage
of the subject was not attempted, the six chapters cover all the major types
of cell motility systems and the authors provide in depth reviews of gliding
motility, chloroplast movements, cytoplasmic streaming, flagellar beat pat
terns, mechanisms of flagellar movement and centrin-mediated cell motility.
The chapters reflect the different status of analysis of individual cell motility
phenomena ranging from in depth cell and molecular analysis of model
systems (chapters 3 and 5) to more comparative descriptions of a variety of
cell motility phenomena (chapters 1 and 4). From the latter analyses it is
obvious that many highly unusual cell motility phenomena exist in the algae
that await a detailed analysis using the now available repertoire of cell and
molecular techniques. If this book can stimulate interest toward this end, it
has fulfilled its purpose.
I like to express my thanks to the contributors of the chapters who have
made my job extremely easy. Also I like to thank Peter L. Beech (Mel-
vii
viii Preface
bourne) and Barbara Surek (Cologne) for spending many hours in reading
chapters, making invaluable suggestions and helping in the preparation of
the index.
Cologne, September 1991
Chapter 1
Gliding Motility
Donat-P. Hader and Egbert Hoiczyk
Introduction
Active motility is one of the fundamental characteristics of many microorgan
isms and involves the interplay of a number of cellular functions that enable
an organism to move in a coordinated fashion. Therefore, cell motility is a
very complex and broad topic in research, one that involves problems associ
ated with motor design, steering and control, and energy supply and distribu
tion. As early as the Precambrian era, organisms in aquatic habitats devel
oped two basic types of motility: flagellar and gliding motility. The first one
is the subject of other chapters in this volume; the second one is the topic of
this chapter.
Microorganisms employ motility to optimize the position in their micro
habitat using a number of external chemical and physical factors. Most
motile gliding organisms use different environmental stimuli, such as photic
(Nultsch, 1971; Nultsch and Wenderoth, 1973; Nultsch and Hader, 1979;
Haupt, 1983), chemical (Fechner, 1915; Drews, 1959; Hopkins, 1969; Kai
ser et aI., 1979; Ho and McCurdy, 1979; Dworkin, 1983), galvanic (Ver
worn, 1889; Hader, 1977), mechanical (Schmid, 1918; Wagner, 1934; Wil
liams, 1965), gravitational (Hopkins, 1966; Harper, 1976; Bean, 1984), and
thermal (Reimers, 1928; Castenholz, 1968) clues to direct their search for a
suitable niche for survival and growth in the biosphere.
Although gliding motility was observed more than two centuries ago
(Adanson, 1767), the underlying basic mechanisms are still obscure in most
organisms and pose a major biological research problem. Currently, the only
generally accepted statement is that the mechanism of gliding movement
differs from one taxonomic group to the next, so that the simple sounding
question has to be answered for each organism individually: How does
