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Stall force does not affect the stalk coiling propagation of Vorticella convallaria

JMST Advances volume 3, pages 35–40 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

The stalk of Vorticella convallaria, a sessile microorganism, is a model for calcium-powered cellular contraction and biomimetic actuators because of its high contraction speed and unique energy source. Usually, the stalk coiling follows the contraction of the cell body with a time delay (latent period), and it propagates from the cell body side to the root side. The dynamics and energetics of contracting V. convallaria have been studied by applying a stall force to the cell and thus slowing down the stalk contraction. This study exerted an extrinsic stall force to V. convallaria by applying drag force to V. convallaria cells using a microchannel and found that the propagation speed of the stalk coiling was not affected by the stall force, which is similar to the stalk coiling propagation of V. convallaria contracting in a stagnant viscous liquid. In contrast, the minimum latent period increased with the stall force, which enabled estimation of the maximum rate of contraction force development of the V. convallaria stalk.

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Acknowledgements

SR appreciates Dilziba Kizghin and Carson Emeigh for proofreading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Sangjin Ryu

  2. Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Sangjin Ryu

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Paul Matsudaira

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  1. Sangjin Ryu
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  2. Paul Matsudaira
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Correspondence to Sangjin Ryu.

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Ryu, S., Matsudaira, P. Stall force does not affect the stalk coiling propagation of Vorticella convallaria. JMST Adv. 3, 35–40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42791-021-00041-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42791-021-00041-z

Keywords

  • Calcium-powered cell motility
  • Latent period
  • High-speed imaging
  • Kymograph