Summary
InEuglena fusca, each pellicular strip carries a row of particles on its surface. The relative displacement of particles on adjacent strips was analysed by video-microscopy and evidence was obtained that adjacent pellicular strips slide relative to each other during euglenoid movement.E. fusca shows two types of euglenoid movement, oscillatory bending and rounding-up of the cell body. During oscillatory bending, the maximum velocity of sliding was 0.4 μm/s and the maximum displacement distance between adjacent strips 2.3 μm about their mean position. WhenE. fusca exhibited rounding-up of the cell body, particle displacement again occurred and the angle of the pellicular strips to the long axis of the cell body increased because of pellicular sliding. As a result the distance between the cell's anterior and posterior tips was reduced. There was no change in distance either between rows of particles or between particles within the same row. The findings are incompatible with theories of euglenoid movement requiring local contraction of pellicular strips and point to the likely existence of active sliding between adjacent strips.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Arnott, H. J., Smith, H. E., 1969: Analysis of microtubule structure inEuglena granulata. J. Phycol.5, 68–75.
—,Walne, P. L., 1966: Metaboly inEuglena granulata. J. Phycol.2 (Suppl.), 4–5 (Abstr.).
Bloodgood, R. A., Miller, K. R., 1974: Freeze-fracture of microtubules and bridges in motile axostyles. J. Cell Biol.62, 660–671.
Bovee, E. C., 1982: Movement and locomotion ofEuglena. In: The biology ofEuglena, Vol. 3 (Buetow, D. E., ed.), pp. 143–168. New York: Academic Press.
Bracher, R., 1938: The light relations ofEuglena limosa Grad.— Part I. The influence of intensity and quality of light on phototaxy. J. Linn. Soc. London, Bot.51, 23–43.
Chen, Y. T., 1950: Investigations on the biology ofPeranema trichophorum (Eugleninae). Q. J. microsc. Sci.91, 279–308.
Dasgupta, J., 1964: Submicroscopic morphology ofEuglena gracilis Klebs. Ann. Sci. Nat. Zool. Biol. Anim.6, 215–227.
Diskus, A., 1956: Färbestudien an den Schleimkörperchen und Schleimausscheidungen einiger Euglenen. Protoplasma45, 460–477.
Gallo, J.-M., Schrevel, J., 1982: Euglenoid movement inDistigma proteus. I. Cortical rotational motion. Biol. Cell44, 139–148.
Häder, D.-P., Melkonian, M., 1983: Phototaxis in the gliding flagellate,Euglena mutabilis. Arch. Microbiol.135, 25–29.
Hall, S. R., 1931: Obervations onEuglena leucops, sp. nov., a parasite ofStenostomum, with special reference to nuclear division. Biol. Bull. (Woods Hole, Mass.)60, 327–344.
Harris, J., 1969: Microscopical observations of vast numbers of animalcules seen in water. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London Ser. B19, 254–259.
Hilmbauer, K., 1954: Zellphysiologische Studien an Euglenaceen, besonders anTrachelomonas. Protoplasma43, 192–227.
Hofmann, C., Bouck, B., 1976: Immunological and structural evidence for patterned intussusceptive surface growth in a unicellular organism. A postulated role for submembranous proteins and microtubules. J. Cell Biol.69, 693–715.
Huxtable, D. M., Hyams, J. S., 1982: Euglenoid movement characterized by video light microscopy inEuglena gracilis. Brit. J. Phycol.17, 234 (Abstr.).
Jahn, T. L., Bovee, E. C., 1964: Protoplasmic movements and locomotion of protozoa. In: Biochemistry and physiology of protozoa, Vol. 3 (Hutner, S. H., ed.), pp. 61–129. New York: Academic Press.
Khawkine, W., 1887: Biology ofAstasia ocellata andEuglena viridis. J. Roy. Microsc. Soc. Ser. II.7, 601–602.
Leedale, G. F., 1964: Pellicle structure inEuglena. Brit. phycol. Bull.2, 291–306.
—, 1966:Euglena: A new look with the electron microscope. Adv. Sci.23, 22–37.
—, 1982: Ultrastructure. In: The biology ofEuglena, Vol. 3 (Buetow, D. E., ed.), pp. 1–27. New York: Academic Press.
—,Meeuse, B. J. D., Pringsheim, E. G., 1965: Structure and physiology ofEuglena spirogyra. I and II. Arch. Mikrobiol.50, 68–102.
Lowndes, A. G., 1936: Flagella movement. Nature (Lond.)138, 210–211.
Mackinnon, D. L., Hawes, R. S. J., 1961: An introduction to the study of protozoa, pp. 69–87. London: Oxford Univ. Press.
Mikolajczyk, E., 1972: Pattern of body movements ofEuglena gracilis. Acta Protozool.11, 317–324.
—, 1973: Effects of some chemical factors on the euglenoid movement inEuglena gracilis. Acta Protozool.12, 133–142.
Mikolajczyk, E., 1975: The biology ofEuglena ehrenbergii Klebs. I. Fine structure of pellicular complex and its relation to euglenoid movements. Acta Protozool.14, 233–240.
—,Kuznicki, L., 1981: Body contraction and ultrastructure ofEuglena. Acta Protozool.20, 1–24.
Pringsheim, E. G., 1946: The biphasic or soil-water culture method for growing algae and flagellata. J. Ecol.33, 193–204.
—, 1948: Taxonomic problems inEuglenineae. Biol. Rev. Cambridge Philos. Soc.23, 46–61.
Reynolds, E. S., 1963: The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol.17, 208–212.
Schwelitz, F. D., Evans, W. R., Mollenhauer, H. H., Dilley, R. A., 1970: The fine structure of the pellicle ofEuglena gracilis as revealed by freeze-etching. Protoplasma69, 341–349.
Spurr, A. R., 1969: A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J. Ultrastruct. Res.26, 31–43.
Suzaki, T., Toyohara, A., Watanabe, S., Shigenaka, Y., Sakai, H., 1980: Microtubules in protozoan cells. Continuous transition between microtubules and macrotubules revealed by a newly devised isolation technique. Biomed. Res.1, 207–215.
Tanenbaum, S. W., 1978: Cytochalasins: Biochemical and cell biological aspects. In: Frontiers of biology, Vol. 46. Amsterdam-New York: North-Holland.
Warner, F. D., 1978: Cation-induced attachment of ciliary dynein cross-bridges. J. Cell Biol.77, R19-R26.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Suzaki, T., Williamson, R.E. Euglenoid movement inEuglena fusca: Evidence for sliding between pellicular strips. Protoplasma 124, 137–146 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01279733
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01279733