Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Studying Habituation in Stentor coeruleus
Published on: January 6, 2023
Deuterium oxide (D2O) enhances the photosensitivity of Stentor coeruleus
Abstract:
Stentor coeruleus exhibits negative phototaxis and step-up photophobic response (avoiding reaction) to visible light (maximum at 610-620 nm in both responses). In the presence of deuterium oxide (D2O) the step-up photophobic response was markedly enhanced, whereas the phototactic orientation response was inhibited. The induction time for the step-up photophobic response was longer in D2O than in H2O, and the duration of ciliary reversal for the response was also longer in D2O than in H2O, indicating that certain steps of the sensory transduction chain are subject to solvent deuterium isotope effects. The enhancement of the step-up photophobic response in D2O was canceled by LaCl3, while the inhibition of the phototactic orientation response in D2O was partially removed by LaCl3, even though LaCl3 did not affect the phototactic orientation response. These results suggest that the sensory transduction mechanisms for the two photoresponses are different, although the photoreceptors (stentorin) are the same.
More Related Videos
07:17Analysis of Motility Patterns of Stentor During and After Oral Apparatus Regeneration Using Cell Tracking
Published on: April 26, 2021
08:22Using Deuterium Oxide as a Non-Invasive, Non-Lethal Tool for Assessing Body Composition and Water Consumption in Mammals
Published on: February 20, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Bioavailability Enhancement: Drug Solubility Enhancement
Oxidation Numbers
Pyruvate Oxidation
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
¹H NMR of Labile Protons: Deuterium (²H) Substitution
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification