Reticulomyxa

Reticulomyxa
darkfield microscopic photo of the cell body (Z) of Reticulomyxa filosa. In the lower right of the picture you see some food particles (F) (wheat germ) surrounded by the fine stands of the Reticulopodial Network (R)
darkfield microscopic photo of the cell body (Z) of Reticulomyxa filosa. In the lower right of the picture you see some food particles (F) (wheat germ) surrounded by the fine stands of the Reticulopodial Network (R)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Phylum: Retaria
Subphylum: Foraminifera
Class: Monothalamea
Order: Allogromiida
Family: Reticulomyxidae
Genus: Reticulomyxa
Species:
R. filosa
Binomial name
Reticulomyxa filosa
Nauss 1949

Reticulomyxa is a monospecific genus of freshwater foraminiferans.[1] The type species is the unicellular Reticulomyxa filosa. It is found in freshwater environments as well as moist environments, like decomposing matter and damp soils. The heterotrophic naked foraminiferan can feed on microbes as well has larger organisms and is able to be sustained in culture by supplemented nutrients such as wheat germ and oats.[2][3][4] The large, multinucleate foraminferan is characteristic for its lack of test and named for the network of connecting pseudopodia surrounding its central body mass.[2] The organism has unique bidirectional cytoplasmic streaming throughout the anastomosing pseudopodia that is some of the fastest reported organelle transport observed.[5] Reticulomyxa was first described in 1949 and is commonly used as a model organism for the unique transport of organelles throughout the cytoplasm of pseudopodia by cytoskeletal mechanisms. Only asexual reproduction of this genus has been observed in culture, but the genome possesses genes related to meiosis suggesting it is capable of sexually reproductive life stages.[6]

  1. ^ PAWLOWSKI, JAN; BOLIVAR, IGNACIO; FAHRNI, JOSE F.; VARGAS, COLOMBAN DE; BOWSER, SAMUEL S. (1999-11-01). "Molecular Evidence That Reticulomyxa Filosa Is A Freshwater Naked Foraminifer". The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 46 (6): 612–617. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1999.tb05137.x. ISSN 1550-7408. PMID 10568034. S2CID 36497475.
  2. ^ a b Nauss, Ruth N. (1949). "Reticulomyxa filosa Gen. Et Sp. Nov., A New Primitive Plasmodium". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 76 (3): 161–173. doi:10.2307/2482203. JSTOR 2482203.
  3. ^ Koonce, M. P.; Euteneuer, U.; Schliwa, M. (1986). "Reticulomyxa: a new model system of intracellular transport". Journal of Cell Science. Supplement. 5: 145–159. doi:10.1242/jcs.1986.supplement_5.9. ISSN 0269-3518. PMID 3477550.
  4. ^ Gothe, G; Bohm, K. J.; Unger, E (1997). "Different resting stages of the plasmodial rhizopod Reticulomyxa filosa". Acta Protozoologica. 36: 23–29.
  5. ^ Euteneur, Ursula; McDonald, Kent L; Koonce, Michael P; Schliwa, Manfred (1986). "Intracellular-transport in Reticulomyxa". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 466 (1): 936–939. Bibcode:1986NYASA.466..936E. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1986.tb38479.x. S2CID 84102411.
  6. ^ Glöckner, Gernot; Hülsmann, Norbert; Schleicher, Michael; Noegel, Angelika A.; Eichinger, Ludwig; Gallinger, Christoph; Pawlowski, Jan; Sierra, Roberto; Euteneuer, Ursula (2014). "The Genome of the Foraminiferan Reticulomyxa filosa". Current Biology. 24 (1): 11–18. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.11.027. PMID 24332546.