Signaling
in Chara rhizoids as they respond to gravity
Rhizoids
are thread-like structures that grow out of the nodes of the alga
Chara. They anchor the alga and facilitate nutrient uptake, thus functioning
similar to the roots of plants. However, unlike the multicelluar root,
Chara rhizoids are single cells that both sense and respond to gravity.
We are curious to unravel the signal transduction that occurs in a
rhizoid when it is gravistimulated. Rhizoids are amenable to many
of the microscopy techniques that we implement to study root gravitropism.
This
is the tip of a growing rhizoid. The dense bodies at the tip are the
statoliths. Chara statoliths are barium sulfate crystals rather than
amyloplasts.
