Nassula

Nassula
Nassula sp.
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
(unranked):
Sar
(unranked):
Alveolata
Phylum:
Ciliophora
Subphylum:
Intramacronucleata
Class:
Nassophorea
Order:
Nassulida
Family:
Nassulidae
Genus:
Nassula

Ehrenberg, 1833

Nassula is a genus of unicellular ciliates, belonging to the class Nassophorea. Like other members of the class, Nassula possesses a basket-like feeding apparatus (nasse, or cyrtos) made up of cytopharyngeal rods (nematodesmata), which are themselves composed of closely packed microtubules.[1][2][3] Nassula use this structure to ingest filamentous cyanobacteria, drawing individual strands of blue-green algae through the cytopharynx and into the body of the cell, where they are digested. As the algae are broken down, they can take on a variety of bright colours, which give Nassula a distinctive, variegated appearance under the microscope.

  1. ^ Tucker JB (December 1968). "Fine structure and function of the cytopharyngeal basket in the ciliate Nassula". Journal of Cell Science. 3 (4): 493–514. doi:10.1242/jcs.3.4.493. PMID 4974275.
  2. ^ Tucker JB (March 1970). "Morphogenesis of a large microtubular organelle and its association with basal bodies in the ciliate Nassula". Journal of Cell Science. 6 (2): 385–429. doi:10.1242/jcs.6.2.385. PMID 4986841.
  3. ^ Vigues, Bernard; Blanchard, Marie-Pierre; Bouchard, Philippe (1999). "Centrin-like filaments in the cytopharyngeal apparatus of the ciliates Nassula and Furgasonia: evidence for a relationship with microtubular structures". Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton. 43 (1): 72–81. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0169(1999)43:1<72::AID-CM8>3.0.CO;2-U. PMID 10340705.