A short flagella mutant of Dunaliella sallina (Chlorophyta, Cholorophyceae).
Dunaliella salina (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae) is a unicellular wall-less biflagellate alga. In this paper we describe a spontaneous mutant of D. salina, isolated from wild type cultures, which is characterized by very short flagella. The ultrastructure showed the basic 9 + 2 organization of wild-type flagella. Immunofluorescence localization of tubulin in this mutant confirmed the normal construction of the axoneme. Although, the mutant does not swim, still it is able to move and perform photobehavior. As shown by track reconstruction, and rotation movements, observed by means of reflection microscopy, this mutant can move, probably gliding by means of its stumpy flagella. A possible model to explain the mutant motion pattern is discussed.
Istituto di Biofisica CNR, Area della Ricerca Pisa, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Rosa
R
Vismara
Franco
F
Verni
Laura
L
Barsanti
Valtere
V
Evangelista
Paolo
P
Gualtieri
D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004398:Dyneins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005407:Flagella / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009154:Mutation; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism
D014404:Tubulin; D004398:Dyneins