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0 Q&A 184 Views Jan 20, 2026

Flagellate stages of green microalgae such as Trebouxia are only partially characterised, with recent evidence suggesting that they are involved in both sexual and asexual reproduction. Conventional methods based on fixed samples in light, confocal, or electron microscopy provide only static observations and prevent real-time monitoring of living cells. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a simple and cost-effective protocol for observing Trebouxia flagellate cells over several days by coating microscopy slides with Bold’s basal medium. The method preserves cell viability and allows repeated imaging of motile cells in the same areas so that their behaviour and development can be continuously observed. In this way, qualitative observations, such as flagellate cell release, motility, and gamete fusion, can be combined with quantitative analyses of cell morphology. The protocol has proven to be robust and reproducible and was applied to several Trebouxia species. Compared to existing techniques, it allows the monitoring of dynamic processes and provides a powerful tool to study specific life stages not only in Trebouxia but also in other unicellular and colonial green algae.

0 Q&A 15526 Views Apr 20, 2015
During combined nitrogen step-down, filaments of cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 differentiate about 5-10% of vegetative photosynthetic cells into heterocysts, the specialized cells for N2 fixation (Walk, 1996). Heterocysts have a thick cell wall reducing permeation of O2 and consist of two additional layers composed of glycolipids and polysaccharides. The difference in structure and composition of the cell wall between heterocysts and vegetative cells allows separation and isolation of heterocyst. Heterocysts isolated by this protocol can be subjected to protein analysis and activity measurements, which do not require strict anaerobic conditions.



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