Microhydrodynamic characterization of the closest animal cell relative

G.L. MIÑO; JORGE A. SÁNCHEZ; PEDRO A. PURY; MARCONI, V.I.

cordoba

Congreso; II Brazil-Argentine Microfluidics Congress; 2019

Choanoflagellates are a diverse group of microorganisms that are comprised of 150 species. They are of great importance to evolutionary biology since they represent the closest ani- mal cell relative. A distinct feature of these auto-propelled cells is the presence of a collar in the apical part that surrounds a single flagellum. These flagella confer the capacity to swim in a manner similar to spermatozoids. Another characteristic of choanoflagel- lates is their ability to develop different phenotypes depending on specific environmental conditions. Salpingoeca rosetta present as two solitary swimming cell types, the fast and slow swimmer. The existence of these two types is not well understood, particularly since both populations may be found together in the same environment. The characterization of these motile cells is key in elucidating several evolutionary questions that will allow us to bridge our knowledge to animal cells. Following this aim, we have developed a com- putational method in order to automate the tracking of these microorganism populations using microscopy video recording. The procedure allows the detection of particles, the reconstruction of trajectories, and the automatic classification of the trajectories that dis- tinguish slow swimmers from fast swimmers. Our work proposes a robust tool for the characterization of the microhydrodynamics of swimming choanoflagellates.