Abstract:

To investigate the mechanism of the cilia assembly in choanoflagellates, this study focused on a colony-forming choanoflagellate, Salpingoeca rosetta. For the first time, the cilia of Salpingoeca rosetta were disassembled viamechanical shearing, and a LiCl (lithium chloride)-induced ciliaelongation experiment was conducted to investigate mechanisms underlying the disassembly, regeneration, and assembly of the cilia of Salpingoeca rosetta. In the LiCl-induced ciliaelongation experiment, a final molarity of 250 mmol/L was used. In the cilia disassembly and regeneration experiments, the mechanical shearing conditions were determined. Experimental results show that the cilia of Salpingoeca rosetta were restored to their original lengths after a mechanical force was applied on them for 120 min; moreover, LiCl-induced a ciliaelongation by more than 60% after 180 min of LiCl treatment.Compared with the cold-stress-induced disassembly of the cilia of Salpingoeca rosetta, the mechanical shearing method was faster, more efficient, and simpler with higher repeatability. This study provides a fundamental method for investigating the molecular mechanism of the cilia assembly in Salpingoeca rosetta.

Key words: Salpingoeca rosetta, LiCl-induced cilia elongation, cilia regeneration, cilia assembly, mechanical shearing