Near-wall rheotaxis of the ciliate Tetrahymena induced by the kinesthetic sensing of cilia

DOI HANDLE Web Site 7 Citations 32 References Open Access
  • Ohmura, Takuya
    Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology; Biozentrum, University of Basel
  • Nishigami, Yukinori
    Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University; Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University
  • Taniguchi, Atsushi
    Laboratory for Spatiotemporal Regulations, National Institute for Basic Biology, ; Spatiotemporal Regulations Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS)
  • Nonaka, Shigenori
    Laboratory for Spatiotemporal Regulations, National Institute for Basic Biology; Spatiotemporal Regulations Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS)
  • Ishikawa, Takuji
    Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University; Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University
  • Ichikawa, Masatoshi
    Department of Physics, Kyoto University

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • Near-wall rheotaxis of the ciliate <i>Tetrahymena</i> induced by the kinesthetic sensing of cilia

Abstract

To survive in harsh environments, single-celled microorganisms autonomously respond to external stimuli, such as light, heat, and flow. Here, we elucidate the flow response of Tetrahymena, a well-known single-celled freshwater microorganism. Tetrahymena moves upstream against an external flow via a behavior called rheotaxis. While micrometer-sized particles are swept away downstream in a viscous flow, what dynamics underlie the rheotaxis of the ciliate? Our experiments reveal that Tetrahymena slides along walls during upstream movement, which indicates that the cells receive rotational torque from shear flow to control cell orientation. To evaluate the effects of the shear torque and propelling speed, we perform a numerical simulation with a hydrodynamic model swimmer adopting cilia dynamics in a shear flow. The swimmer orientations converge to an upstream alignment, and the swimmer slides upstream along a boundary wall. The results suggest that Tetrahymena automatically responds to shear flow by performing rheotaxis using cilia-stalling mechanics.

Journal

  • Science Advances

    Science Advances 7 (43), eabi5878-, 2021-10

    American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

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