Harmonized supramolecular motility machinery and its diversity

Eukaryote number of click：366
Journey of amoeba with particles

Species name:Amoeba and Testate Amoeba

AL-Museum　AL-Museum

A hidden amoeba extends several slender pseudopodia from behind the end of one particle. As the amoeba comes to other particles, it extends pseudopodia from behind the one of particle. As the amoeba never shows itself completely, we cannot recognize where it is. In the meantime the amoeba and several particles begin journey to another place together with a colony of flagellates.

Eukaryote number of click：355
Pollen tube attraction by the synergid cell

Species name:Torenia fournieri

ITbM, Nagoya Univ　Tetsuya Higashiyama

In the evolution of flowering plants, genes necessary for flagella formation including flagellar dyneins were lost. Non-motile sperm cells of flowering plants are conveyed by a tip-growing haploid cell, the pollen tube. The sperm cell is enclosed by an endocytic membrane of the pollen tube cell and delivered to female gametes rapidly without much water for swimming. How does the pollen tube precisely arrive at an egg-containing tissue? Pollen tube attractants had been searched for more than 140 years. The attractants were finally identified in a unique plant species, Torenia, which has a protruding egg-containing tissue. Pollen tube attraction can be directly observed in Torenia as shown in this movie. Two synergid cells on the side of the egg cell were shown to be the source of the attraction signal. Finally, two cysteine-rich peptides named LUREs were identified as true pollen tube attractants.

Eukaryote number of click：339
A still-life view of algae and diatoms

Species name:Synedra or Tabellaria or Fragilaria, Oscillatoria, Blue-green algae, Scenedesmus

AL-Museum　AL-Museum

This is a tranquil scene featuring various kinds of diatoms and green algae, none of which is moving.

Eukaryote number of click：200
Philodina sp.

Species name:Philodina sp.

Bureau Swerage,　Tokyo Metropolitan Government

The size of Philodina is 300-1,000 μm in length. The body is thin long. One foot with four toes. The head has two crown of chilia. The eyespots lie on the brain. It moves like leeches. It shows leech-like movement and moves around flocs. Philodina feed on algae and bacteria. It can retract cron of cilia into the body.

Eukaryote number of click：187
Mouse tracheal cilia

Species name:Mus musculus

Hamamatsu Univ Sch Med　Koji Ikegami

Moving cilia on mouse tracheal epithelia. The beating frequency is about 10 to 20 Hz. The batch of cilia shows a wavelike motility, so-called metachronal wave.

Eukaryote number of click：172
Standard SPOC

Waseda Univerisity　Shin'ichi ISHIWATA

Standard SPOC

Prokaryote number of click：158
Myxococcus Xanthus gliding motility (on TPM Agar)

Species name:Myxococcus Xanthus

Princeton University　Akeisha Belgrave

Myxococcus Xanthus gliding motility (on TPM Agar)

Eukaryote number of click：158
Drepanomonas sp.

Species name:Drepanomonas

Bureau Swerage,　Tokyo Metropolitan Government

The size of Drepanomonas is 30-40 μm in length. Its cell is uneven crescent shape. Posterior ends pointed and both side rounded. Drepanomonas has a smaller number of cilia. Its shape of body does not deform.

Eukaryote number of click：154
Euplotes sp.

Species name:Euplotes sp.

Bureau Swerage,　Tokyo Metropolitan Government

The size of Euplotes is 100- 200 μm in length. Part of the body is similar to Aspidisca, the body is voided and the back of the body is raised but they are differ in its front end that has a wide triangular peristome, and the pattern of attachment of cilia and the large size of cilia. High flock dependency. They are similar to ladybird, so cilia look like small feet when they move.

Eukaryote number of click：154
Mysterious behavior of Bacillaria

Species name:Bacillaria paxillifer

AL-Museum　AL-Museum

Bacillaria is a colony in which numerous individual diatoms are connected. The individual diatoms are lined up side by side, which looks like a window blind when the colony is contracted. When the colony stretches out, the diatoms are connected nearly end to end in a long chain-like structure. Bacillaria usually moves in a straight line when extended, but can change directions freely when contracted. Various small diatoms, aggregates and crystals are stuck to Bacillaria and move along with it.