Abstract
Ultrastructural changes in the cortical cytoskeleton during wound-induced cytoplasmic contraction were examined in the coenocytic green alga Ernodesmis verticillata. Both calmodulin (CaM) and actin were localized in intact and contracting cells by immunogold labeling. Within 5 min after wounding, compact microfilament (MF) bundles were observed which increase in diameter as cytoplasmic contraction proceeds. Calmodulin labeling is associated with amorphous material studding the MF bundles, whereas actin labeling occurs along the individual MFs. No MF bundles were ever observed during contraction that were not also labeled with anti-CaM antibodies. In cells treated with the CaM antagonist W-7 (N-[6-aminohexyl]-5-chloro-1-naphtha-lenesulfonamide), MF bundles do not form, and the formation of loosely arranged MFs (similar to nascent bundles in untreated cells) is greatly retarded. We propose that CaM binds indirectly to actin by activating an actin-binding regulatory protein which functions in early stages of the transduction sequence leading to functional MF bundles. Additionally, ultrastructural evidence is presented for a plasma-membrane skeleton or undercoating in this alga.
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Abbreviations
- CaM:
-
calmodulin
- MF(s):
-
microfilament(s)
- MT(s):
-
microtubule(s)
- W-7:
-
N-[6-aminohexyl]-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide
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We are especially grateful to Dr. J. A. West (University of California, Berkeley, USA) for the original algal isolates and to Dr. L. Van Eldik (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt, Tenn., USA) for the generous gift of CaM antibodies. Portions of this work were supported by National Science Foundation grant DCB 84-02345 and U. S. Department of Agriculture grant 87-CRCR-1-2545 to J.W.L.
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Goddard, R.H., La Claire, J.W. Calmodulin and wound healing in the coenocytic green alga Ernodesmis verticillata (Kützing) Børgesen: Ultrastructure of the cortical cytoskeleton and immunogold labeling. Planta 186, 17–26 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201493
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201493