spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nakamura, S.
Right arrow Articles by Nikaido, O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nakamura, S.
Right arrow Articles by Nikaido, O.

Journal of Cell Science, Vol 109, Issue 1 57-62, Copyright © 1996 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Assembly and function of Chlamydomonas flagellar mastigonemes as probed with a monoclonal antibody

S Nakamura, G Tanaka, T Maeda, R Kamiya, T Matsunaga and O Nikaido
Department of Environmental Biology and Chemistry, Toyama University, Japan.

Mastigonemes are hair-like projections on the flagella of various kinds of lower eukaryotes. We obtained a monoclonal antibody (mAb-MAST1) to mastigonemes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and found that it reacts with a single flagellar glycoprotein of about 230 kDa. Interestingly, immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that mAb-MAST1 recognizes not only the flagellar mastigonemes but also a ring composed of 10 or more particles located in the anterior end of the cell body close to the flagellar bases. The ring structure may be the pool of the mastigoneme protein. When the flagella are amputated, they regenerate to their original length in 90-120 minutes. We found that mastigonemes appear on the new flagellar surface as early as 15 minutes after deflagellation, and that new mastigonemes are mostly assembled onto the distal region of the flagellar surface. Mastigonemes thus appear to be inserted into the membrane only in the distal region of the flagellum. Alternatively, mastigonemes may be inserted at the base and transported very rapidly to the distal portion where they are trapped. When live cells are treated with mAb-MAST1, mastigonemes disappear from the flagellar surface. In these mAb-MAST1 treated cells, the swimming velocity decreases to 70-80% of the normal value, although the flagellar beat frequency increases to approximately 110% of the control. These findings demonstrate vectorial transport of mastigonemes to their assembly sites, and show that mastigonemes function to increase flagellar propulsive force by increasing the effective surface of the flagellum.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Mol. Biol. CellHome page
J. A. Follit, R. A. Tuft, K. E. Fogarty, and G. J. Pazour
The Intraflagellar Transport Protein IFT20 Is Associated with the Golgi Complex and Is Required for Cilia Assembly
Mol. Biol. Cell, September 1, 2006; 17(9): 3781 - 3792.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Am. Soc. Nephrol.Home page
G. J. Pazour
Intraflagellar Transport and Cilia-Dependent Renal Disease: The Ciliary Hypothesis of Polycystic Kidney Disease
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., October 1, 2004; 15(10): 2528 - 2536.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1996