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Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling

A flagellar adhesion-induced signal sent during the mating reaction of the biflagellate alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, initiates release of cell-wall-degrading enzymes, activation of mating structures, and cell fusion. The nature of this signal is unknown, but it may be mediated by an adhesion-ind...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Rockefeller University Press 1982
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2112220/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7130274
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collection PubMed
description A flagellar adhesion-induced signal sent during the mating reaction of the biflagellate alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, initiates release of cell-wall-degrading enzymes, activation of mating structures, and cell fusion. The nature of this signal is unknown, but it may be mediated by an adhesion-induced change (activation) of flagellar tips. The studies reported here show that lidocaine, a local anesthetic that is reported to interfere with the movement of divalent cations across cell membranes, reversibly blocks cell wall loss and gametic fusion without blocking adhesion or flagellar tip activation. In these experiments lidocaine inhibited both the initial rates and the extent of wall loss and zygote formation. Studies with gametes of a paralyzed flagellar mutant, pf 17, revealed that lidocaine also blocked flagellar surface motility (visualized as movement of polystyrene beads) at concentrations of the inhibitor which also prevented gametic fusion. The concentration of lidocaine required to block cell fusion was dependent on the concentration of calcium or magnesium in the medium. In the absence of added calcium, 0.5 mM lidocaine inhibited fusion by 70%. In 0.5 mM calcium, 0.5 mM lidocaine had no effect on fusion and 2 mM lidocaine was required for 90% inhibition. The results suggest that divalent cations may play a critical role in sexual signalling in Chlamydomonas.
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spelling pubmed-21122202008-05-01 Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling J Cell Biol Articles A flagellar adhesion-induced signal sent during the mating reaction of the biflagellate alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, initiates release of cell-wall-degrading enzymes, activation of mating structures, and cell fusion. The nature of this signal is unknown, but it may be mediated by an adhesion-induced change (activation) of flagellar tips. The studies reported here show that lidocaine, a local anesthetic that is reported to interfere with the movement of divalent cations across cell membranes, reversibly blocks cell wall loss and gametic fusion without blocking adhesion or flagellar tip activation. In these experiments lidocaine inhibited both the initial rates and the extent of wall loss and zygote formation. Studies with gametes of a paralyzed flagellar mutant, pf 17, revealed that lidocaine also blocked flagellar surface motility (visualized as movement of polystyrene beads) at concentrations of the inhibitor which also prevented gametic fusion. The concentration of lidocaine required to block cell fusion was dependent on the concentration of calcium or magnesium in the medium. In the absence of added calcium, 0.5 mM lidocaine inhibited fusion by 70%. In 0.5 mM calcium, 0.5 mM lidocaine had no effect on fusion and 2 mM lidocaine was required for 90% inhibition. The results suggest that divalent cations may play a critical role in sexual signalling in Chlamydomonas. The Rockefeller University Press 1982-09-01 /pmc/articles/PMC2112220/ /pubmed/7130274 Text en This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
spellingShingle Articles
Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title_full Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title_fullStr Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title_full_unstemmed Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title_short Lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in Chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
title_sort lidocaine reversibly inhibits fertilization in chlamydomonas: a possible role for calcium in sexual signalling
topic Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2112220/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7130274