Anomalies in the valve morphogenesis of the centric diatom alga Aulacoseira islandica caused by microtubule inhibitors

Of all unicellular organisms possessing a cell wall, diatoms are the most adept at micro- and nanoscale embellishment of their frustules. Elements of their cell walls are formed inside the cell under cytoskeletal control. In this work, we used laser scanning microscopy and electron microscopy to describe the major stages of cell wall formation in the centric diatom algae Aulacoseira islandica and to study the effect of various microtubule inhibitors on the morphogenesis of frustule elements. Our results show that colchicine inhibits karyokinesis and cytokinesis in A. islandica colonies. In contrast, valve morphogenesis is changed, rather than inhibited altogether. In normal cells, this process starts simultaneously in both daughter cells, beginning with the formation of two adjacent discs that later become valve faces and connecting spines. Under colchicine treatment, however, the cleavage furrow is blocked and a single lateral valve forms on the side of the cylindrical frustule. As a result, a single hollow pipe forms instead of two separate drinking glass-shaped frustules; such pipes can form up to 35% of all forming frustules. Colchicine inhibits the formation of connecting spines, whereas paclitaxel causes spines to form a complex, branching shape. At the same time, inhibitors do not affect the formation of areolae (openings) in the frustule. We discuss the possibility that various processes of the diatom frustule morphogenesis are controlled by two different mechanisms – membrane-related micromorphogenesis and cytoskeleton-mediated macromorphogenesis.