TY - JOUR TI - H+- and Na+- elicited rapid changes of the microtubule cytoskeleton in the biflagellated green alga Chlamydomonas AU - Liu, Yi AU - Visetsouk, Mike AU - Mynlieff, Michelle AU - Qin, Hongmin AU - Lechtreck, Karl F AU - Yang, Pinfen A2 - Howard, Jonathon VL - 6 PY - 2017 DA - 2017/09/06 SP - e26002 C1 - eLife 2017;6:e26002 DO - 10.7554/eLife.26002 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26002 AB - Although microtubules are known for dynamic instability, the dynamicity is considered to be tightly controlled to support a variety of cellular processes. Yet diverse evidence suggests that this is not applicable to Chlamydomonas, a biflagellate fresh water green alga, but intense autofluorescence from photosynthesis pigments has hindered the investigation. By expressing a bright fluorescent reporter protein at the endogenous level, we demonstrate in real time discreet sweeping changes in algal microtubules elicited by rises of intracellular H+ and Na+. These results from this model organism with characteristics of animal and plant cells provide novel explanations regarding how pH may drive cellular processes; how plants may respond to, and perhaps sense stresses; and how organisms with a similar sensitive cytoskeleton may be susceptible to environmental changes. KW - Chlamydomonas KW - EB1 KW - microtubule KW - salt stress KW - intracellular acidification KW - ocean acidification JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -