title: Unsolved motility looking for answer.
abstract: A rod-like axostyle complex turns the anterior end of a termite flagellate, including the plasma membrane, continually in the same direction relative to the rest of the cell at speeds up to approximately 1 Hz. This motility provides direct visual evidence for the fluid nature of cell membranes. Torque is generated along the length of the axostyle complex by an unknown mechanism. Here I describe findings not published before and promising experiments that may help to solve this remarkable motility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. tamm@bu.edu
authors.forename: Sidney L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tamm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005613:Freeze Etching; D020049:Isoptera / Q000469:parasitology; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008870:Microtubules / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D016834:Trichomonadida / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins