Extracellular protein fibrils in Chrysochromulina breviturrita (Prymnesiophyceae) and their serological relationship to fungal fimbriae

Abstract

An extensive network of extracellular fibrils was revealed by negative staining in the greenish gold algal flagellate, Chrysochromulina breviturrita. These fibrils were of uniform diameter (4–5 nm), sometimes exceeding 5 μm in length. In addition there were short, narrower fibrils (2–3 nm) on the surface of the flagella. Six protein bands were isolated from spent culture medium by SDS-PAGE and one of 80,000 Da was found to polymerize after dialysis into 4–5 nm fibrils identical to those found on the cell surface. Two other proteins of 58,000 Da and 65,000 Da also formed 4–5 nm fibrils but these were either rare or of a shorter length and different appearance. An antiserum directed against the surface 7 nm fibrils (fimbriae) of fungi agglutinated cells of C. breviturrita and some other Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae, but did not agglutinate cells of algal species in other groups. Immunofluorescence and protein A gold labelling confirmed that antigens related to fungal fimbriae were present on the surface of cells of C. breviturrita. Only the 80,000 and 58,000 Da proteins labelled heavily following protein A gold labelling. Some individual 4–5 nm fibrils labelled with gold were observed in the material prepared from the 80,000 Da band. These results therefore establish that C. breviturrita produces a surface network of fibrils that are serologically related to the fimbriae of fungi, and suggest a previously unrecognized relationship between members of the Prymnesiophyceae, Chrysophyceae and fungal groups.