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A V GRIMSTONE

Publications and source records attributed to A V GRIMSTONE.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

THE FINE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE CONTRACTILE AXOSTYLES OF CERTAIN FLAGELLATES.

The axostyles of the flagellates Oxymonas, Saccinobaculus, and Notila are large ribbon-shaped structures which undulate actively in the cytoplasm. The form of their movements is described and illustrated. Axostyles consist of regular arrays of longitudinal fibres, the number of which varies between 100 and 5000 in different species. The fibres are about 240 A in diameter, apparently hollow, regularly cross-banded with a periodicity of about 150 A, and connected by delicate cross-links, also at regular intervals of about 150 A. They resemble very closely the central fibres of cilia and flagella. No other structural components are present, except at the anterior end, where the fibres are attached to one or more basal bodies, and at the posterior tip, where they are anchored to the plasma membrane. The relevance of the findings to an understanding of the mechanism of ciliary and flagellar movements is discussed.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

On flagellar structure in certain flagellates.

This paper describes the structure of the flagella, basal bodies, and some of the associated fibre systems in three genera of complex flagellates, Trichonympha, Pseudotrichonympha, and Holomastigotoides. Three groups of longitudinal fibres occur in a flagellum: two central and nine outer fibres such as have been repeatedly described in other material, and an additional set of nine smaller secondary fibres not previously identified as such. Each central fibre shows a helical substructure; the pair of them are enveloped in a common sheath. Each outer fibre is a doublet with one subfibre bearing projections-called arms-that extend toward the adjacent outer fibre. The basal body is formed by a cylinder of nine triplet outer fibres. Two subfibres of each triplet continue into the flagellum and constitute the doublets. The third subfibre terminates at the transition of basal body to flagellum, possibly giving rise to the nine radial transitional fibres that seem to attach the end of the basal body to the surface of the organism. The central and secondary flagellar fibres are not present in the lumen of the basal body, but other complex structures occur there. The form of these intraluminal structures differs from genus to genus. The flagellar unit is highly asymmetrical. All the flagella examined have possessed the same one of the two possible enantiomorphic forms. At least two systems of fibres are associated with the basal bodies of all three genera.

Animals↗

Cytoplasmic membranes and the nuclear membrane in the flagellate Trichonympha.

The structure of the nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes of Trichonympha, a complex flagellate, has been studied in the electron microscope. The nuclear membrane consists of two 70 A membranes, penetrated by numerous pores. Small (100 A) granules occur on the outer surface, around the rims of the pores. Granule-bearing membranes, only 30 to 40 A thick, form long, ribbon-shaped sacs, with 100 A granules on their outer surface. They apparently form close to the nucleus, from which they probably derive their granules. Smooth membranes occur in the parabasal bodies, which consist of stacks of 70 A membranes, joined at their edges in pairs to form flattened sacs. These can inflate and form cytoplasmic vesicles. A protein fibre is applied laterally to the pile of sacs. New sacs, replacing those lost by inflation, appear to form by a process involving the granular membranes, and there may be a transformation of one into the other. Starving eliminates granular membranes and results in a failure in the formation of new parabasal sacs. Refeeding reverses these effects. A parabasal body is a steady-state system, in which the rates of loss and gain of sacs are normally approximately equal. Parabasal bodies resemble the Golgi apparatus.

Animals↗