Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Imaging and Analysis of Neurofilament Transport in Excised Mouse Tibial Nerve
Published on: August 31, 2020
Mass flow and velocity profiles in Neurospora hyphae: partial plug flow dominates intra-hyphal transport
1Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.
Abstract:
Movement of nuclei, mitochondria and vacuoles through hyphal trunks of Neurospora crassa were vector-mapped using fluorescent markers and green fluorescent protein tags. The vectorial movements of all three were strongly correlated, indicating the central role of mass (bulk) flow in cytoplasm movements in N. crassa. Profiles of velocity versus distance from the hyphal wall did not match the parabolic shape predicted by the ideal Hagen-Poiseuille model of flow at low Reynolds number. Instead, the profiles were flat, consistent with a model of partial plug flow due to the high concentration of organelles in the flowing cytosol. The intra-hyphal pressure gradients were manipulated by localized external osmotic treatments to demonstrate the dependence of velocity (and direction) on pressure gradients within the hyphae. The data support the concept that mass transport, driven by pressure gradients, dominates intra-hyphal transport. The transport occurs by partial plug flow due to the organelles in the cytosol.
Related Concept Videos
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
Diversity of Protists IV
Phloem and Sugar Transport
Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...
Short-distance Transport of Resources

