RRC ID 30891
著者 Arakaki Y, Kawai-Toyooka H, Hamamura Y, Higashiyama T, Noga A, Hirono M, Olson BJ, Nozaki H.
タイトル The simplest integrated multicellular organism unveiled.
ジャーナル PLoS One
Abstract Volvocine green algae represent the "evolutionary time machine" model lineage for studying multicellularity, because they encompass the whole range of evolutionary transition of multicellularity from unicellular Chlamydomonas to >500-celled Volvox. Multicellular volvocalean species including Gonium pectorale and Volvox carteri generally have several common morphological features to survive as integrated multicellular organisms such as "rotational asymmetry of cells" so that the cells become components of the individual and "cytoplasmic bridges between protoplasts in developing embryos" to maintain the species-specific form of the multicellular individual before secretion of new extracellular matrix (ECM). However, these morphological features have not been studied in the four-celled colonial volvocine species Tetrabaena socialis that is positioned in the most basal lineage within the colonial or multicellular volvocine greens. Here we established synchronous cultures of T. socialis and carried out immunofluorescence microscopic and ultrastructural observations to elucidate these two morphological attributes. Based on immunofluorescence microscopy, four cells of the mature T. socialis colony were identical in morphology but had rotational asymmetry in arrangement of microtubular rootlets and separation of basal bodies like G. pectorale and V. carteri. Ultrastructural observations clearly confirmed the presence of cytoplasmic bridges between protoplasts in developing embryos of T. socialis even after the formation of new flagella in each daughter protoplast within the parental ECM. Therefore, these two morphological attributes might have evolved in the common four-celled ancestor of the colonial volvocine algae and contributed to the further increase in cell number and complexity of the multicellular individuals of this model lineage. T. socialis is one of the simplest integrated multicellular organisms in which four identical cells constitute the individual.
巻・号 8(12)
ページ e81641
公開日 2013-1-1
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0081641
PII PONE-D-13-38220
PMID 24349103
PMC PMC3859500
MeSH Biological Evolution* Chlorophyta / classification Chlorophyta / physiology Chlorophyta / ultrastructure* Cytoplasm / physiology Cytoplasm / ultrastructure Extracellular Matrix / physiology Extracellular Matrix / ultrastructure Flagella / physiology Flagella / ultrastructure Phylogeny* Protoplasts / physiology Protoplasts / ultrastructure Species Specificity
IF 2.74
引用数 23
WOS 分野 PLANT SCIENCES
リソース情報
藻類 NIES-571