Thesis-PDF - IAP/TU Wien

Flagellum
The flagellum of an E. gracilis cell can be seen emerging from the reservoir at the
visible canal opening in Fig. 6.7. Toward the bottom region the pellicular strips
bend inwards in order to form the reservoir inside the cell.
In the left part of the next figure, Fig. 6.8, a detail of the flagellum has been
imaged. Confirming the SEM and TEM data from the literature, mastigonemes,
hairlike structures of only around 10 nm in diameter covering Euglena’s flagellum
could be resolved with AFM. However, the exact arrangement of mastigonemes
along the flagellar surface is to date still unknown, and a diagram of a possible
arrangement that was not contradicted by our AFM data is given in the right part
of Fig. 6.8.
To our knowledge this is the first time that the flagellum as well as the canal
opening from which it emerges has been imaged with AFM at this resolution.
Figure 6.7: Apical part of an E. gracilis cell showing the location where
the flagellum emerges from the canal (arrow). The flagellum in this image
then turns under the cell body. Intermittent contact mode AFM image,
Amplitude trace.
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