Skip to main content
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1975 Sep 1;66(3):480–491. doi: 10.1083/jcb.66.3.480

BALD-2: a mutation affecting the formation of doublet and triplet sets of microtubules in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

PMCID: PMC2109450  PMID: 1158970

Abstract

The mutant strain bald-2 is unique among "flagellaless" strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii isolated to date, in that it possesses a mutant basal body: it is only capable of forming a ring of nine singlet microtubules, 180 nm in diameter, instead of the usual triplet basal body which is 225 nm in diameter. This singlet basal body lacks structural stability and the ability to associate with striated fiber material but retains two critical properties of basal bodies, namely, information specifying the length to which it should elongate and the ability to induce, albeit rarely, a flagellar transition region, a short, singlet-containing axoneme, and a specialized tunnel in the cell wall through which flagella normally emerge. The mutation seems to be specific for B- and C-microtubule synthesis or assembly since all other cytoplasmic sets of microtubules appear normal in numbers, orientation, and stability.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (3.0 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen C., Borisy G. G. Structural polarity and directional growth of microtubules of Chlamydomonas flagella. J Mol Biol. 1974 Dec 5;90(2):381–402. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90381-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Allen R. D. The morphogenesis of basal bodies and accessory structures of the cortex of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. J Cell Biol. 1969 Mar;40(3):716–733. doi: 10.1083/jcb.40.3.716. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Behnke O., Forer A. Evidence for four classes of microtubules in individual cells. J Cell Sci. 1967 Jun;2(2):169–192. doi: 10.1242/jcs.2.2.169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cavalier-Smith T. Basal body and flagellar development during the vegetative cell cycle and the sexual cycle of Chlamydomonas reinhardii. J Cell Sci. 1974 Dec;16(3):529–556. doi: 10.1242/jcs.16.3.529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dippell R. V. The development of basal bodies in paramecium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Oct;61(2):461–468. doi: 10.1073/pnas.61.2.461. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Eipper B. A. Properties of rat brain tubulin. J Biol Chem. 1974 Mar 10;249(5):1407–1416. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Eipper B. A. Rat brain microtubule protein: purification and determination of covalently bound phosphate and carbohydrate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2283–2287. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Friedmann I., Colwin A. L., Colwin L. H. Fine-structural aspects of fertilization in Chlamydomonas reinhardi. J Cell Sci. 1968 Mar;3(1):115–128. doi: 10.1242/jcs.3.1.115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GALL J. G. Centriole replication. A study of spermatogenesis in the snail Viviparus. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Jun;10:163–193. doi: 10.1083/jcb.10.2.163. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. GIBBONS I. R., GRIMSTONE A. V. On flagellar structure in certain flagellates. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1960 Jul;7:697–716. doi: 10.1083/jcb.7.4.697. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Goodenough U. W., Levine R. P. Chloroplast structure and function in ac-20, a mutant strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardi. 3. Chloroplast ribosomes and membrane organization. J Cell Biol. 1970 Mar;44(3):547–562. doi: 10.1083/jcb.44.3.547. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Johnson U. G., Porter K. R. Fine structure of cell division in Chlamydomonas reinhardi. Basal bodies and microtubules. J Cell Biol. 1968 Aug;38(2):403–425. doi: 10.1083/jcb.38.2.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kalnins V. I., Porter K. R. Centriole replication during ciliogenesis in the chick tracheal epithelium. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1969;100(1):1–30. doi: 10.1007/BF00343818. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Luduena R. F., Woodward D. O. Isolation and partial characterization of alpha and beta-tubulin from outer doublets of sea-urchin sperm and microtubules of chick-embryo brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Dec;70(12):3594–3598. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.12.3594. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McVittie A. Flagellum mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardii. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 Aug;71(3):525–540. doi: 10.1099/00221287-71-3-525. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Meza I., Huang B., Bryan J. Chemical heterogeneity of protofilaments forming the outer doublets from sea urchin flagella. Exp Cell Res. 1972 Oct;74(2):535–540. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(72)90413-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Olmsted J. B., Borisy G. G. Microtubules. Annu Rev Biochem. 1973;42:507–540. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.42.070173.002451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Poole A. R., Howell J. I., Lucy J. A. Lysolecithin and cell fusion. Nature. 1970 Aug 22;227(5260):810–814. doi: 10.1038/227810a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Power J. B., Cummins S. E., Cocking E. C. Fusion of isolated plant protoplasts. Nature. 1970 Mar 14;225(5237):1016–1018. doi: 10.1038/2251016a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. RANDALL J., WARR J. R., HOPKINS J. M., MCVITTIE A. A SINGLE-GENE MUTATION OF CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDII AFFECTING MOTILITY: A GENETIC AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY. Nature. 1964 Aug 29;203:912–914. doi: 10.1038/203912a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. RENAUD F. L., SWIFT H. THE DEVELOPMENT OF BASAL BODIES AND FLAGELLA IN ALLOMYCES ARBUSCULUS. J Cell Biol. 1964 Nov;23:339–354. doi: 10.1083/jcb.23.2.339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Ringo D. L. Flagellar motion and fine structure of the flagellar apparatus in Chlamydomonas. J Cell Biol. 1967 Jun;33(3):543–571. doi: 10.1083/jcb.33.3.543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Snell W. J., Dentler W. L., Haimo L. T., Binder L. I., Rosenbaum J. L. Assembly of chick brain tubulin onto isolated basal bodies of Chlamydomonas reinhardi. Science. 1974 Jul 26;185(4148):357–360. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4148.357. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Starling D. Complementation tests on closely linked flagellar genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardii. Genet Res. 1969 Dec;14(3):343–347. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300002196. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Steinman R. M. Inhibitory effects of colchicine on ciliogenesis in ectoderm of Xenopus laevis. J Ultrastruct Res. 1970 Feb;30(3):423–440. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(70)80073-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Stephens R. E. Thermal fractionation of outer fiber doublet microtubules into A- and B-subfiber components. A- and B-tubulin. J Mol Biol. 1970 Feb 14;47(3):353–363. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90307-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sueoka N., Chiang K. S., Kates J. R. Deoxyribonucleic acid replication in meiosis of Chlamydomonas reinhardi. I. Isotopic transfer experiments with a strain producing eight zoospores. J Mol Biol. 1967 Apr 14;25(1):47–66. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(67)90278-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Tilney L. G., Bryan J., Bush D. J., Fujiwara K., Mooseker M. S., Murphy D. B., Snyder D. H. Microtubules: evidence for 13 protofilaments. J Cell Biol. 1973 Nov;59(2 Pt 1):267–275. doi: 10.1083/jcb.59.2.267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Witman G. B., Carlson K., Berliner J., Rosenbaum J. L. Chlamydomonas flagella. I. Isolation and electrophoretic analysis of microtubules, matrix, membranes, and mastigonemes. J Cell Biol. 1972 Sep;54(3):507–539. doi: 10.1083/jcb.54.3.507. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Witman G. B., Carlson K., Rosenbaum J. L. Chlamydomonas flagella. II. The distribution of tubulins 1 and 2 in the outer doublet microtubules. J Cell Biol. 1972 Sep;54(3):540–555. doi: 10.1083/jcb.54.3.540. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES