ISSN:
1615-6102
Keywords:
Contraction
;
Electrical stimulation
;
Microtubules
;
Suctoria
;
Trichophrya
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Summary Extracellular electrical stimulation ofTrichophrya collini induces tentacle contraction. There is an inverse relationship between stimulus duration and voltage in producing a threshold response, and at a set voltage the response is graded depending upon duration of stimulus. With a threshold stimulus (6.3 V, 1,000 ms) the response is restricted to the anodal tentacles, and with increasing stimulus intensity or duration the response spreads to the cathodal and finally the intermediate tentacles. With a stimulus of 15 V, 1,000 ms the mean tentacle length is reduced to 28% of the control within 1.2 s. Recordings using intracellular microelectrodes give resting membrane potentials between −10mV and −40mV. Intracellular hyperpolarizing currents of 1nA and 2nA induce tentacle contraction to 50% and 25% of the control length respectively, but depolarizing currents do not induce contraction. SEM studies show that in the initial stages of contraction, only the central region of the tentacle shaft becomes shortened, but on full contraction shortening involves the whole of the shaft. TEM studies show that on contraction no depolymerization of tentacle axoneme microtubules occurs, but that the entire axoneme passes down into the body cytoplasm. These observations are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of tentacle contraction.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01403989
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