Single-celled organism shrinks to quarter size in milliseconds via protein network

The short version

• Researchers found that the single-celled ciliate Spirostomum ambiguum compresses to one-quarter of its length in under five milliseconds.[ScienceDaily]
• The ultra-fast contraction is driven by calcium ions triggering a fishnet-like network of centrin and Sfi1 proteins.[ScienceDaily]
• This mechanism shortens roughly ten times faster than human muscle while shielding internal organelles.[ScienceDaily]
• Scientists are still trying to determine how the single-celled organism resets its calcium mechanism to contract repeatedly.[ScienceDaily]

Key facts

• Spirostomum ambiguum compresses to one-quarter of its original length in under five milliseconds, contracting at roughly 100 body lengths per second.[ScienceDaily]
• The rapid movement relies on calcium ions interacting with a fishnet-like protein network of centrin and Sfi1.[ScienceDaily]
• The fishnet structure enables uniform contraction to safeguard internal organelles during rapid shortening.[ScienceDaily]
• Human muscle fibers achieve comparable shortening proportions but require about ten times longer to complete the process.[ScienceDaily]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• This tiny organism can shrink to one quarter its size in millisecondsScienceDaily - Environment