Biomaterial Database

Light-induced alterations in cell shape and pigment displacement in chromatophores of the sea urchin Centrostephanus longispinus. 1977

H Gras, and W Weber

Alteration in cell shape of the ligh-sensitive chromatophores of Centrostephanus longispinus are described. Upon illumination a centrifugal pigment movement starts within extremely thin filopodia which radiate from the cell body. With continued pigment migration the cellular processes increase in length and diameter and give the cell an irregular stellate appearance. Pigment movement within the cellular processes is discontinuous in space and time and may occur independently in single filopodia. The motion of single granules shows characteristic features of a saltatory movement.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008027	Light	That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range.	Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D010860	Pigments, Biological	Any normal or abnormal coloring matter in PLANTS; ANIMALS or micro-organisms.	Biological Pigments
D002856	Chromatophores	The large pigment cells of fish, amphibia, reptiles and many invertebrates which actively disperse and aggregate their pigment granules. These cells include MELANOPHORES, erythrophores, xanthophores, leucophores and iridiophores. (In algae, chromatophores refer to CHLOROPLASTS. In phototrophic bacteria chromatophores refer to membranous organelles (BACTERIAL CHROMATOPHORES).)	Chromatophore
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012617	Sea Urchins	Somewhat flattened, globular echinoderms, having thin, brittle shells of calcareous plates. They are useful models for studying FERTILIZATION and EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT.	Echinoidea,Sand-Dollar,Clypeasteroida,Sand Dollars,Clypeasteroidas,Dollar, Sand,Dollars, Sand,Echinoideas,Sand Dollar,Sand-Dollars,Sea Urchin,Urchin, Sea,Urchins, Sea