Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS15 Biomechanics: Making the Connection Between Physics and Biology at the Organismal Level (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001, Time: 4:15:00 PM

Location: Mesilla

Latz, M, I, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA, mlatz@ucsd.edu

FLOW SENSING IN DINOFLAGELLATES

Dinoflagellates are excellent models for examining how planktonic organisms respond to small scale fluid motion. At the time scale of milliseconds to seconds, relatively high levels of flow stimulation stimulate bioluminescence in some species. Over the time scale of hours to days, much lower levels of flow stimulation, comparable to levels present in the upper ocean on a windy day, inhibit cell division, affect motility, and alter cell morphology. Both classes of responses are consistent with a stimulation mechanism based on fluid shear. Dinoflagellates are not only the most flow-sensitive phytoplankton, but they also are more sensitive to shear than non-marine cell types. The biochemical and anatomical features contributing to this remarkable flow sensitivity are not yet understood. Biophysical studies of cell stiffness, cytoskeletal organization, and membrane fluidity, coupled with identification of the steps involved in the signal transduction pathway, will help answer the question of how these unicellular organisms sense flow.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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