Motility of Living CellsPhilosophers through the ages have made the astute observation that life, in its many aspects, appears to be continuously moving. All things in the universe, from the cosmic to the atomic level, exhibit some form of movement. Getting down to earth, the capacity to move is also an essential feature of the biological world. Movement was in fact synonymous with life at the time that Antony van Leeuwenhoek made the first simple microscope (seventeenth century). Using his primitive instrument he observed micro-organisms. which he called 'animalcules', swimming through a drop of water, and therefore he proclaimed that they 'seem to be alive'. We now know that movement in this form is not a prerequisite for life. although it is a crucial aspect in many living organisms. Realizing the general importance of motility in the biological world, this book will try to focus on the motility at a cellular level. Motility at a cellular level can take one of several forms: movement of components within the cell itself or movement of the cell as a whole (cell locomotion). |
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able Acad acrosomal actin actin filaments activity Adler amino acid amoebae amoeboid amoeboid movement antibodies ATPase attached axonemes axostyle bacterial flagella bacterium basal body basal structure binding Biochem bundles Ca2+ Cell Biol cell locomotion cell membrane Cell Motility cell movement cell types cellular chemical chemotactic chemotaxis cilia cilia and flagella ciliary beating cilium Cold Spring Harbor components contractile cytoplasmic microtubules direction dynein dynein arms E.coli effective stroke electron microscope endoplasm enzyme eukaryotic eukaryotic cells evidence flagellar flagellar movement flagellated flagellin flagellum fluorescence function genetic Goldman heliozoan mammalian mechanism microfilaments microtubule assembly microtubules microvilli molecular weight molecules morphological muscle mutants myosin nexin non-muscle cells occurs organelles organisms pattern phosphorylation Pollard polymerization polypeptides present Proc propagation proteins pseudopod radial spokes reaction receptors region response ring Rosenbaum rotation similar sliding slime mould spindle stimulation studied subfibre subunits tubules tubulin vitro vivo wave