Summary
There is no significant change in Ca++ efflux rate from plasmodia during chemotactic responses to several sugars, whereas substantially increased Ca++ efflux caused by EDTA does not significantly affect movement. Evidently the Ca++ fluxes controlling movement take place inside the organism, and chemotaxis probably involves a second messenger.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Braatz, R., andH. Komnick, 1973: Vacuolar calcium segregation in relaxed myxomycete protoplasm as revealed by combined electrolyte histochemistry and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays. Cytobiologie8, 158–163.
Carlile, M. J., 1970: Nutrition and chemotaxis in the myxomycetePhysarum polycephalum: The effect of carbohydrates on the plasmodium. J. gen. Microbiol.63, 221–226.
Chi, Y. Y., andD. Francis, 1971: Cyclic AMP and calcium exchange in a cellular slime mold. J. Cell Physiol.77, 169–174.
Daniel, J. W., andH. Baldwin, 1964: Methods of culture for plasmodial myxomycetes. Methods Cell Physiol.1, 9–41.
Durham, A. C. H., 1974: A unified theory of the control of actin and myosin in nonmuscle movements. Cell2, 123–135.
—, andE. B. Ridgway, 1976: Control of chemotaxis inPhysarum polycephalum. J. Cell Biol.69, 218–222.
Hatano, S., 1970: Specific effect of Ca2+ on movement of plasmodial fragment obtained by caffeine treatment. Exp. Cell Res.61, 199–203.
Kamiya, N., 1959: Protoplasmic streaming. Protoplasmatologia8 (3 a), 1–199.
Katz, B., andR. Miledi, 1966: Input-output relation of a single synapse. Nature212, 1242–1245.
Komnick, H., W. Stockem, andK. E. Wohlfarth-Bottermann, 1973: Cell motility: Mechanisms in protoplasmic streaming and ameboid movement. Internat. Rev. Cytol.33, 169–249.
Nachmias, V., andA. Ashe, 1974: Actin mediated calcium dependency of actomyosin in a myxomycete. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun.60, 656–664.
Pickard, W. F., 1972: Further observations on cytoplasmic streaming inChara braunii. Canad. J. Bot.50, 703–711.
Ridgway, E. B., andA. C. H. Durham, 1976: Oscillations of calcium ion concentrations inPhysarum polycephalum. J. Cell Biol.69, 223–226.
Schroeder, T. E., 1972: The contractile ring. II. Determining its brief existence, volumetric changes, and vital role in cleavingArbacia eggs. J. Cell Biol.53, 419–434.
Stewart, P. A., 1964: The organization of movement in slime mold plasmodia. In: Primitive motile systems in cell biology, pp. 69–78 (R. D. Allen andN. Kamiya, eds.). New York: Academic Press.
Ueda, T., K. Terayama, K. Kurihara, andY. Kobatake, 1975: Threshold phenomena in chemoreception and taxis in slime moldPhysarum polycephalum. J. gen. Physiol.65, 223–234.
Whitfield, J. F., J. P. MacManus, R. H. Rixon, A. L. Boynton, T. Youdale, andS. Swierenga, 1976: The positive control of cell proliferation by the interplay of calcium ions and cyclic nucleotides: A review. In Vitro12, 1–18.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ludlow, C.T., Durham, A.C.H. Calcium ion fluxes across the external surface ofPhysarum polycephalum . Protoplasma 91, 107–113 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276726
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276726