Reticulomyxa

Page updated 18/802

A freshwater sincitial protist with fine branching pseudopods that bears a resemblance to Labyrinthula in that the nuclei appear as beads on a string within cell bodies that travel make and forth along "slime-ways".  However, unlike Labyrinthula whose "slime-ways" are actin microfilament based, Reticulomyxa has been a model organism for microtubule motility.  Exactly what Reticulomyxa is has been a problem, now SSUrDNA analysis strongly suggests that it is a foraminifer; without a silica shell (Pawlowski et al, 1999).  This analysis has been backed up by studies on the b-tubulin sequence of these organisms.

Chen, Y.T. & Schliwa, M. (1990). "Direct observation of microtubule dynamics in Reticulomyxa: unusual rapid length changes and microtubule sliding." Cell Motil.Cytoskel. 17, 214-226.

Euteneuer, U., L. T. Haimo, et al. (1989). “Microtubule bundles of Reticulamyxa networks are of uniform polarity.” Eur.J.Cell Biol. 49: 373-376.

Koonce, M.P. & Schliwa, M. (1985). "Bidirectional organelle transport can occur in cell processes that contain single microtubule." J.Cell Biol. 100, 322-326.

Koonce, M.P. & Schliwa, M. (1986). "Reactivation of organelle movements along the cytoskeletal framework of a giant freshwater amoeba." J.Cell Biol. 103, 605-612.

Koonce, M.P., Euteneuer, U., & Schliwa, M. (1986). "Reticulomyxa: a new model system of intracellular transport." J.Cell Sci. 5, 145-159.

Linder, S., Schliwa, M., & Kube-Granderath, E. (1997). " Sequence analysis and immunofluorescence study of a- and b-tubulins in Reticulomyxa filosa: implications of the high degree of b2-tubulin divergence. Cell Motil.Cytoskel. 36, 164-178.

Pawlowski, J., Bolivar, I., Fahrni, J.F., De Vargas, C., & Bowser, S.S. (1999). "Molecular evidence that Reticulomyxa filosa is a freshwater naked foraminifer." J.Euk.Microbiol. 46(6), 612-617.