The marine protozoan Allogromia sp, strain NF Lee extends an elaborate reticulopodial network (RN) which contains an elongate microtubule-(MT)-based cytoskeleton. The MTs are located primarily within cytoplasmic fibrils which are visible by light microscopy (LM) in highly flattened or “two dimensionalized” reticulopodia. It was shown previously that allogromiid RNs withdraw in response to hypertonic Mg2+-seawater. An ultrastructural analysis of this phenomenon indicated that large patches of paracrystalline (PC) material, composed of helical filament aggregates, form concomitant with a decrease in MT number. Similar large patches of PC aggregates are also found in juvenile Allogromia before they extend a RN, which disappear during RN formation. Finally, PC aggregates are occasionally seen near microtubules in normal untreated RNs. Thus there is circumstantial evidence to propose that PC aggregates in Allogromia represent an intermediate form of tubulin; however, more definitive biochemical or immunocytochemical data is not available.
