Euglena: The Photoreceptor System for Phototaxis*

Abstract

The photoreceptor structures (eyespot-paraflagellar body-flagellum) for E. gracilis var. bacillaris phototaxis were investigated by EM. The paraflagellar body, the photoreceptor, is a highly ordered crystalline lamellar structure. Optical diffraction of the electron micrographs and resulting filtered images of the paraflagellar body suggest that it is formed of rods in a helical arrangement. The action spectra for phototaxis, the in situ spectrum by microspectrophotometry of the paraflagellar body, and flavin analysis of the organism indicate that the photoreceptor molecule is a flavoprotein. The phototaxis action spectrum is similar to the spectrum for O2 evolution and implies that similar molecules participate in the photoprocesses. A photochemical scheme is suggested in which a photo-excited flavin and a cytochrome participate in the photoprocess. The photochemistry and photoreceptor structures for Euglena phototaxis are likened to a photoneuro sensory cell.