scholarly journals Motility in multicellular Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlamydomonadales, Chlorophyceae)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margrethe Boyd ◽  
Fran Rosenzweig ◽  
Matthew Herron

AbstractThe advent of multicellularity was a watershed event in the history of life, yet the transition from unicellularity to multicellularity is not well understood. Multicellularity opens up opportunities for innovations in intercellular communication, cooperation, and specialization, which can provide selective advantages under certain ecological conditions. The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has never had a multicellular ancestor yet it is closely related to the volvocine algae, a clade containing taxa that range from simple unicells to large, specialized multicellular colonies. Simple multicellular structures have been observed to evolve in C. reinhardtii in response to predation or to settling rate-based selection. Structures formed in response to predation consist of individual cells grouped within a shared transparent extracellular matrix. Evolved isolates form such structures obligately under culture conditions in which their wild type ancestors do not, indicating that newly-evolved multicellularity is heritable. C. reinhardtii is capable of photosynthesis, and possesses an eyespot and two flagella with which it moves towards or away from light in order to optimize input of radiant energy. Motility contributes to C. reinhardtii fitness because it allows cells or colonies to achieve this optimum. Utilizing phototaxis to assay motility, we determined that newly evolved multicellular strains do not exhibit significant directional movement, even though the flagellae of their constituent unicells are present and active. In C. reinhardtii the first steps towards multicellularity in response to predation appear to result in a trade-off between motility and differential survivorship, a trade-off that must overcome by further genetic change to ensure the long-term success of the new multicellular organism.

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (10) ◽  
pp. 2774-2779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Heinnickel ◽  
Rick G. Kim ◽  
Tyler M. Wittkopp ◽  
Wenqiang Yang ◽  
Karim A. Walters ◽  
...  

A Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant lacking CGL71, a thylakoid membrane protein previously shown to be involved in photosystem I (PSI) accumulation, exhibited photosensitivity and highly reduced abundance of PSI under photoheterotrophic conditions. Remarkably, the PSI content of this mutant declined to nearly undetectable levels under dark, oxic conditions, demonstrating that reduced PSI accumulation in the mutant is not strictly the result of photodamage. Furthermore, PSI returns to nearly wild-type levels when the O2 concentration in the medium is lowered. Overall, our results suggest that the accumulation of PSI in the mutant correlates with the redox state of the stroma rather than photodamage and that CGL71 functions under atmospheric O2 conditions to allow stable assembly of PSI. These findings may reflect the history of the Earth’s atmosphere as it transitioned from anoxic to highly oxic (1–2 billion years ago), a change that required organisms to evolve mechanisms to assist in the assembly and stability of proteins or complexes with O2-sensitive cofactors.


Author(s):  
Nancy J. Symmes ◽  
Ellen C. Weaver

In the search for life support systems for possible long term manned space flights one must, at some point, investigate photosynthetic systems, and hence the interest in green algae with their ease of care, rapid growth rates, and high efficiency of energy conversion. With the present restriction of weight it would be most advantageous to find an organism with a maximum photosynthetic capability.A pale green mutant Ac 29 of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (obtained from Professor Wilbur Ebersold, UCLA) has been studied which has four times the photosynthetic capacity at high light intensities on a chlorophyll basis as the wild type (as based on measurements of CO2 uptake and O2 evolution). In order to try to find some basis for the differences in photosynthetic capacity, comparisons were made between wild type (strain 21gr, obtained from Ruth Sager, Hunter College) and mutant at both the ultrastructural and chemical levels.


1975 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
N C Martin ◽  
U W Goodenough

Gametogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been studied in mating-type plus cells utilizing several different culture conditions, all of which are shown to depend on the depletion of nitrogen from the medium, and the fine structure of gametes prepared under these conditions has been compared by using thin sections of fixed materials. We document alterations in ribosome levels, in chromatin morphology, in starch levels, in the organization of chloroplast membranes, and in the appearance of nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum membranes during gametogenesis. We also noted the acquisition of two new organelles: a mating structure (Friedman, L., A. L. Colwin, and L. H. Colwin. 1968. j. cell Sci. 3:115-128; goodenough, U. W., and R. L. Weiss. 1975. J. Cell Biol. 67:623-637), and Golgi-derived vesicles containing a homogeneous material. We chart the time course of these morphological changes during synchronous gametogenesis. We note that many of these changes may represent adjustments to nitrogen starvation rather than direct features of gametic differentiation, and we also document that cells can differentiate so that they survive conditions of nitrogen starvation for many weeks after they become gametes. We conclude that metabolic alterations, the acquisition of mating ability, and the preparation for long-term survival are all elicited in this organism by nitrogen withdrawal, and we discuss how the various structural alterations observed in this study may relate to these three interrelated avenues of cellular differentiation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-152
Author(s):  
Salman Ghaffari ◽  
◽  
Mehran Razavipour ◽  
Parastoo Mohammad Amini ◽  
◽  
...  

McCune-Albright Syndrome (MAS) is characterized by endocrinopathies, café-au-lait spots, and fibrous dysplasia. Bisphosphonates are the most prescribed treatment for reducing the pain but their long-term use has been associated with atypical fractures of cortical bones like femur in patients. We present a 23-year-old girl diagnosed with MAS. She had an atypical mid-shaft left femoral fracture that happened during simple walking. She also had a history of long-term use of alendronate. Because of the narrow medullary canal, we used 14 holes hybrid locking plate for the lateral aspect of the thigh to fix the fracture and 5 holes dynamic compression plate (instead of the intramedullary nail) in the anterior surface to double fix it, reducing the probability of device failure. With double plate fixation and discontinuation of alendronate, the complete union was achieved five months after surgery


Author(s):  
Johann P. Arnason

Different understandings of European integration, its background and present problems are represented in this book, but they share an emphasis on historical processes, geopolitical dynamics and regional diversity. The introduction surveys approaches to the question of European continuities and discontinuities, before going on to an overview of chapters. The following three contributions deal with long-term perspectives, including the question of Europe as a civilisational entity, the civilisational crisis of the twentieth century, marked by wars and totalitarian regimes, and a comparison of the European Union with the Habsburg Empire, with particular emphasis on similar crisis symptoms. The next three chapters discuss various aspects and contexts of the present crisis. Reflections on the Brexit controversy throw light on a longer history of intra-Union rivalry, enduring disputes and changing external conditions. An analysis of efforts to strengthen the EU’s legal and constitutional framework, and of resistances to them, highlights the unfinished agenda of integration. A closer look at the much-disputed Islamic presence in Europe suggests that an interdependent radicalization of Islamism and the European extreme right is a major factor in current political developments. Three concluding chapters adopt specific regional perspectives. Central and Eastern European countries, especially Poland, are following a path that leads to conflicts with dominant orientations of the EU, but this also raises questions about Europe’s future. The record of Scandinavian policies in relation to Europe exemplifies more general problems faced by peripheral regions. Finally, growing dissonances and divergences within the EU may strengthen the case for Eurasian perspectives.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Shaikh ◽  
Natasha Shrikrishnapalasuriyar ◽  
Giselle Sharaf ◽  
David Price ◽  
Maneesh Udiawar ◽  
...  

Diabetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1386-P
Author(s):  
SYLVIA E. BADON ◽  
FEI XU ◽  
CHARLES QUESENBERRY ◽  
ASSIAMIRA FERRARA ◽  
MONIQUE M. HEDDERSON

Author(s):  
L.V. Vetchinnikova ◽  
◽  
A.F. Titov ◽  
◽  

The article reports on the application of the best known principles for mapping natural populations of curly (Karelian) birch Betula pendula Roth var. carelica (Mercklin) Hämet-Ahti – one of the most appealing representatives of the forest tree flora. Relying on the synthesis and analysis of the published data amassed over nearly 100 years and the data from own full-scale studies done in the past few decades almost throughout the area where curly birch has grown naturally, it is concluded that its range outlined in the middle of the 20th century and since then hardly revised is outdated. The key factors and reasons necessitating its revision are specified. Herewith it is suggested that the range is delineated using the population approach, and the key element will be the critical population size below which the population is no longer viable in the long term. This approach implies that the boundaries of the taxon range depend on the boundaries of local populations (rather than the locations of individual trees or small clumps of trees), the size of which should not be lower than the critical value, which is supposed to be around 100–500 trees for curly birch. A schematic map of the curly birch range delineated using this approach is provided. We specially address the problem of determining the minimum population size to secure genetic diversity maintenance. The advantages of the population approach to delineating the distribution range of curly birch with regard to its biological features are highlighted. The authors argue that it enables a more accurate delineation of the range; shows the natural evolutionary history of the taxon (although it is not yet officially recognized as a species) and its range; can be relatively easily updated (e.g. depending on the scope of reintroduction); should be taken into account when working on the strategy of conservation and other actions designed to maintain and regenerate this unique representative of the forest tree flora.


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