Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Signal Transduction Pathways In Volvox Carteri, Heide Girardin

Honors Theses

The green alga Volvox carteri exhibits a virtual absence of protein synthesis in the dark, but begins synthesizing proteins necessary for growth and development almost immediately after exposure to the light. The regulation of protein synthesis in this system is known to be translational since extracts prepared in the dark have identical pools and quantities of mRNA as extracts prepared in the light (Kirk and Kirk, 1983). Exploration of the mechanism of translational regulation has led us to consider the importance of signal transduction pathways. By using a variety of commercially available drugs that affect specific components of known signaling …

Calcium Metabolismn In Volvox Carteri, Bridget Anne Neville

Honors Theses

Calcium metabolism is involved in many ways in the cellular activities of the colonial green alga, Volvox carteri. Various drugs that are known in other systems to cause specific changes in calcium metabolism, gave rise to various visible metabolic effects in this study. These effects provide evidence for calcium's role in Volvox growth and development and in its cytoskeleton. Another way that calcium exerts its effect on Volvox is by acting as a second messenger in a G-protein/inositol phosphate signal transduction pathway.

This study also supports the fact that cytoskeletal components are important for development in Volvox. Both microtubules and …

Purification And Analysis Of Protein Synthetic Initiation Factors From Volvox Carteri, Kathie L. Pooler

Honors Theses

Volvox carteri, a multi-celled green algae, can grow synchronously given a sixteen hour light period followed by an eight hour dark period, a cycle which is repeated for a 48 hour growth cycle total. Near the end of each light period, reproductive cells divide rapidly resulting in the differentiation of ceIls. When the dark period begins, this differentiation stops and the cells remain dormant with little protein synthesis or differentiation occurring. Immediately after the lights come back on, however, the cells again undergo rapid protein synthesis and complete their differentiation. Previous studies have concluded that Volvox carteri discontinue protein synthesis …

Isolation Of Protein Synthesis Initiation Factors Using Volvox Carteri: A Clue To The Translational Control Of Cytodifferentiation, Claudia Hackethal

Honors Theses

Volvox carteri, a multicellular green algae, possesses two distinct cell types--the gonidia and somatic cells. This simple germ-soma dichotomy is ideal for the study of the control of cytodifferentiation. The control of cytodifferentiation in this organism has been identified as a posttranscriptional mechanism, which suggests translation. Initiation factors have been shown to play an important role in controlling translation in many other developmental systems. Therefore, study of the initiation factors in Volvox may shed light on a translational control mechanism. In order to study any modifications of these factors, they must be isolated, possibly by following an adapted wheat germ …