Affiliation:
1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California , San Francisco, CA 94158 , USA
Abstract
Synopsis
Cells are the fundamental unit of biological organization. Although it may be easy to think of them as little more than the simple building blocks of complex organisms such as animals, single cells are capable of behaviors of remarkable apparent sophistication. This is abundantly clear when considering the diversity of form and function among the microbial eukaryotes, the protists. How might we navigate this diversity in the search for general principles of cellular behavior? Here, we review cases in which the intensive study of protists from the perspective of cellular biophysics has driven insight into broad biological questions of morphogenesis, navigation and motility, and decision making. We argue that applying such approaches to questions of evolutionary cell biology presents rich, emerging opportunities. Integrating and expanding biophysical studies across protist diversity, exploiting the unique characteristics of each organism, will enrich our understanding of general underlying principles.
Funder
National Science Foundation
Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Plant Science,Animal Science and Zoology