Calcium wave for cytoplasmic streaming of Physarum polycephalum

The plasmodium Physarum polycephalum exhibits periodic cycles of cytoplasmic streaming in association with those of contraction and relaxation movement. In the present study, we injected Calcium Green dextran as a fluorescent Ca2+ indicator into the thin-spread living plasmodium. We found changes in the [Ca2+]i (intracellular concentration of Ca2+), which propagated in a wave-like form in its cytoplasm. The Ca2+ waves were also detected when we used Fura dextran which detected [Ca2+]i by the ratio of two wavelengths. We prepared the plasmodial fragment from the thin-spread and found that the cycles of the contraction-relaxation movement was so synchronized that the measurement of its area provided an indication of the movement. We observed that [Ca2+]i also synchronized in the entire fragment and that the relaxation ensued upon the reduction in [Ca2+]i. We suggest that the Ca2+ wave generated periodically is one of the major factors playing a crucial role in the relaxation of P. polycephalum.