Summary
The development of a spatio-temporal pattern of Ca2+ concentration by a plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum during chemotaxis was studied using fura-2. Whenever the cell displayed coordinated migration in one direction as a whole body, a spatiotemporal pattern was established with a characteristic feature along the longitudinal axis. Calcium concentration oscillated with a period of a few minutes within the cell; the mean concentration at the front was higher than that at the rear. When the cell was given an attractant only at the rear end, the mean concentration rose at the site of application with an immediate increase in the frequency of oscillation. First, the change of the frequency is propagated toward the other end and then the mean level of the Ca2+ concentration at the non-stimulated site decreases. As a result, the Ca2+ gradient is reversed along the cell, which then begins to migrate in a coordinated manner in the reverse direction. This study showed that the spatiotemporal pattern of Ca2+ concentration is closely related to information processing for coordinated migration in chemotaxis. The role of the pattern in that process is discussed.
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Natsume, K., Miyake, Y., Yano, M. et al. Development of spatio-temporal pattern of Ca2+ on the chemotactic behaviour ofPhysarum plasmodium. Protoplasma 166, 55–60 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320143
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320143