| Abstract: | The three-dimensional structure of the flagellar apparatus of Dinobryon cylindrioum Imhof. (UTEX no. LB 2266) was determined using serial section reconstruction. Four microtubular rootlet systems (R1, R2, R3, and R4)and a rhizoplast are present, following the general pattern found in other chrysophytes. The R1 rootlet, containing seven microtubules, originates at the basal body of the long flagellum that bears mastigonemes (F1). The R1 rootlet forms an arc which curves in clockwise direction (when viewed from the anterior end of the cell) approximately halfway around the pit from which the short smooth flagellum (F2) emerges. Numerous microtubules cascade from the exterior-facing side of this rootlet to the tail of the cell. The R2 rootlet originates between the F1 and F2 basal bodies, is attached to the F1 basal body by a fibrous connection, and forms a clockwise arc above the R1 rootlet. This rootlet extends approximately one quarter of the way around the pit. The R3 rootlet system originates as a trough-shaped band of six microtubules spanning the distance between the proximal ends of the F1 and F2 basal bodies. The six-membered rootlet splits into two parts, designated R3 and R3. Both parts circle the pit in counter-clockwise direction, pass beneath the F2 basal body, and descend into the cell alongside the chloroplast. The R4 rootlet originates in fibrous material, passes diagonally over the top of the F2 basal body, forms a clockwise loop at least three quarters of the way around the pit to the interior of the R3 and R3 rootlets, and ends in the cytoplasm. Similarities of rootlet origins and other details of the flagellar apparatus of D. cylindricum with those of other heterokont organisms reinforce the idea that these organisms are phylogenetically related. |
