Abstract
Scientists frequently use technical terms to describe biological systems and functions. By virtue of technical analogy, these terms provide us with insight into the mechanisms that drive biological systems, and often guide us in exploration of little understood phenomena. In this article, we go from a well understood engineered system to less understood biological ones. We apply ourknowledge of polymer gel based devices, to motility principles of two microorganisms: Vorticellid ciliates and non-flagellated cyanobacterium Synechococcus. We propose that contraction of Vorticellid and swimming of Synechococcus are based on the same mechanism that drives the movement of polymer gels, namely the propagating volume phase transitions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Annaka, M., K. Motokawa, S. Sasaki, T. Nakahira, H. Kawasaki, H. Maeda, and Y. Tominaga. 2000. Salt-induced volume phase transition of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) gel. J. Chem. Phys. 113:5980.
Brahamsha, B. 1996. An abundant cell-surface polypeptide is required for swimming by the nonflagellated marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 93:6504–6509.
Ehlers, K. M., A. D. T. Samuel, H. C. Berg, and R. Montgomery. 1996. Do cyanobacteria swim using traveling surface waves? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 93:8340–8343.
Hirotsu, S., Y. Hirokawa, and T. Tanaka. 1987. Volume-phase transitions of ionized N-isopropylacrylamide gels. Journal of Chemical Physics 87:1392–1395.
Knoblauch, M., and W. S. Peters. 2004. Biomimetic actuators: where technology and cell biology merge. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 61:2497–2509.
Koch, A. L. 1990. The Sacculus Contraction Expansion Model for Gliding Motility. Journal of Theoretical Biology 142:95–112.
Mahadevan, L., and P. Matsudaira. 2000. Motility powered by supramolecular springs and ratchets. Science 288:95–99.
Matsuo, E. S., and T. Tanaka. 1988. Kinetics of discontinuous volume-phase transitions of gels. Journal of Chemical Physics 89:1695–1703.
McCarren, J., J. Heuser, R. Roth, N. Yamada, M. Martone, and B. Brahamsha. 2005. Inactivation of swmA results in the loss of an outer cell layer in a swimming Synechococcus strain. Journal of Bacteriology 187:224–230.
Miloh, T., and A. Galper. 1993. Self-Propulsion of General Deformable Shapes in a Perfect Fluid. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series a-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 442:273–299.
Mogilner, A., and G. Oster. 1996. Cell motility driven by actin polymerization. Biophysical Journal 71:3030–3045.
Moriyama, Y., S. Hiyama, and H. Asai. 1998. High-speed video cinematographic demonstration of stalk and zooid contraction of Vorticella convallaria. Biophysical Journal 74:487–491.
Moriyama, Y., H. Okamoto, and H. Asai. 1999. Rubber-like elasticity and volume changes in the isolated spasmoneme of giant Zoothamnium sp. under Ca2+-induced contraction. Biophysical Journal 76:993–1000.
Pitta, T. P., and H. C. Berg. 1995. Self-Electrophoresis Is Not the Mechanism for Motility in Swimming Cyanobacteria. Journal of Bacteriology 177:5701–5703.
Pitta, T. P., E. E. Sherwood, A. M. Kobel, and H. C. Berg. 1997. Calcium is required for swimming by the nonflagellated cyanobacterium Synechococcus strain WH8113. Journal of Bacteriology 179:2524–2528.
Samuel, A. D. T., J. D. Petersen, and T. S. Reese. 2001. Envelope structure of Synechococcus sp. WH8113, a nonflagellated swimming syanobacterium. BMC Microbiology 1.
Stone, H. A., and A. D. T. Samuel. 1996. Propulsion of microorganisms by surface distortions. Physical Review Letters 77:4102–4104.
Tanaka, T. 1981. Gels Scientific American 244:124–137.
Tanaka, T., D. Fillmore, S.-T. Sun, I. Nishio, G. Swislow, and A. Shah. 1980. Phase transtions in ionic gels. Physical Review Letters 45:1636–1639.
van der Linden, H. J., S. Herber, W. Olthuis, and P. Bergveld. 2003. Stimulus-sensitive hydrogels and their applications in chemical (micro) analysis. Analyst 128:325–331.
Waterbury, J. B., J. M. Willey, D. G. Franks, F. W. Valois, and S. W. Watson. 1985. A Cyanobacterium Capable of Swimming Motility. Science 230:74–76.
Willey, J. M., J. B. Waterbury, and E. P. Greenberg. 1987. Sodium-Coupled Motility in a Swimming Cyanobacterium. Journal of Bacteriology 169:3429–3434.
Wolgemuth, C. W., O. Igoshin, and G. Oster. 2003. The motility of mollicutes. Biophysical Journal 85:828–842.
Yamauchi. 2001. Gels: introduction. In Gels handbook, Y. Osada (Ed.). Academic Press.
Yeghiazarian, L. L., S. Mahajan, C. D. Montemagno, C. Cohen, and U. Wiesner. 2005. Directed motion and cargo transport through propagation of polymer-gel volume phase transitions. Advanced Materials 17:1869–1873.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yeghiazarian, L., Lux, R. (2008). Propagation of Volume Phase Transitions as a Possible Mechanism for Movement in Biological Systems. In: Pollack, G.H., Chin, WC. (eds) Phase Transitions in Cell Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8651-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8651-9_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8650-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8651-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)