ISSN:
0886-1544
Keywords:
axopodium
;
microtubules
;
X-body
;
receptor site
;
contraction
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
In the heliozoan Echinosphaerium, rapid axopodial contraction often occurs during food capturing. In morphological studies, it has been considered that rapid contraction is caused by conformation is change of the X-body. We determined that reaction sites or receptors for anion exchange resin, which can induce rapid contraction, were located in every region of the axopodium. However, the probability of locating sites where contraction was induced was lower in the middle region than in the distal region of the axopodium. In cases in which contraction was not induced by resin placed in the middle region of the axopodium, so-called bead formation was induced instead. At the fine structural level, only granulated forms of the X-body were observed in this beading region. These results suggest that rapid contraction results from disassembly of axonemal microtubules and the simultaneous contraction of the X-body and that bead formation represents a stage when only the X-body contracts. Furthermore, effects of metabolic inhibitors and Ca2+ channel blockers revealed that contraction of the X-body did not depend on the supply of adenosine triphosphate, but on Ca2+ influx. Ultrastructural observations revealed that the mass of the granulated X-body was aggregated into the proximal region of the axopodium, suggesting that the X-body might be associated with the undercoat of axopodial membrane or the axonemal microtubules themselves.
Additional Material:
14 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cm.970140214
