Flagellar Adhesion, Flagellar-Generated Signaling, and Gamete Fusion during Mating

This chapter introduces flagellar adhesion, agglutination, flagellar generated signaling and gamete fusion during mating. Flagellar agglutination covers the information related to their structure, evolution, and relationship to downstream signaling events. This section illustrates an interesting feature of the plus agglutinin: when the protein adsorbs to mica, it occasionally denatures, revealing the "headloop" configuration adopted by the underlying shaft. This chapter also outlines events triggered by agglutinin interactions during flagellar adhesion and flagellum generated signaling. Flagellar agglutinability is under complex control which generates thorough understanding of agglutinins. Flagellar-generated signaling, cAMP- dependent signaling pathway, protein tyrosine kinase, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase, IFT and flagella adhesion-activated signaling as well as the the direct role of IFT in flagellum-generated signaling is described. IFT-dependent movement of Agglutinins from the cell boy to the flagella is also summarized. The chapter also provides details about gamete fusion where the Chlamydomonas mating structures, activated plus and minus mating structures, and the fertilization tubule and their mutants.