Q&A: A Moderated Question and Answer Site
This section is an attempt to get answers, to the various questions that researchers working on Physarum often ask of one another, in a discussion group format. Questions are listed in reverse chronological order of their posting by the Webmaster. Answers can be sent directly to the "Questioner" or to the "Webmaster". All answers received by the Webmaster will be synthesized into one "final" answer and then posted along with the original question. If you have comments about the format of this site, please contact the Webmaster (Mark R. Adelman).
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MYXOMYCOLOGISTS? Karl Braun is preparing a list of North American Myxomycologists for the upcoming International Congress on Myxomycetes to be held in Mexico. He is especially interested in those who have a general interest in the myxomycetes, not solely in Physarum, and who might not be included in our membership list (either the one on the PhysarumPlus website or the one that is distributed with each issue of the PNL). Could anyone provide him with the names, plus postal and e-mail addresses, of individuals in Canada, USA, and Mexico that you know who are interested in the Myxomycetes? He thanks you in advance. Karl Braun can be reached by e-mail at: kbraun25@aol.com.
Question posted 23 June, 2003.
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SOURCE OF RNAase PhyM? Rena Petrides is looking for a source of the RNAase PhyM. PhyM is sometimes used in RNA sequencing work; it "cuts" after A and U residues. If you know of a source, reply to Rena M. Petrides and/or to the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 23 April, 2001.
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RESPONSE OF PHYSARUM TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS? Several students have requested information on the response of Physarum to such factors as acid rain, salt solutions, etc. Can anyone suggest a reference these students might consult?
Reply to the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 14 March, 2001.
ANSWER: Provided by several members. General information can be found in the book "Biology of the Myxomycetes", by Gray and Alexopoulos and/or the two-volume book by Aldrich and Daniels. Morten Laane suggested two papers in Mikrokosmos, 84, pp. 287-290 and 357-363 (1995). Ragnhild Halvorsrud mentioned several relevant experiments in her Ph.D. Thesis and offered to provide copies of the relevant material. Kimiko Murakami-Murofushi reported a number of studies on stress responses of cells, including Physarum. A recent reference, from which one can backtrack, appeared in J. Biochem. 124:326-331 (1998).
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PH INDICATOR IN PHYSARUM PLASMODIA?: Kelly Burke would like to know about a pH indicator "related to Physarum, possibly something called "physarin". I referred her to the work by Seifritz and Zetzman many years ago [Protoplasma, 23:175-179 (1935)] as well as several more-recent papers on internal pH changes monitored by fluorescent probes. Anyone aware of more recent work on the internal pigment, and/or anything called "physarin?
Reply to the questioner, (Kelly Burke), and/or to the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 5 February, 2001.
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A RECORD FOR REACTIVATION OF PHYSARUM SPHERULES?: I just successfully reactivated some spherules that were made in 1982 and had been stored in my lab refrigerator (4C) in sterile vials surrounded by silica gel drierite. Is this some sort of record for length of storage (and reactivation)?
Reply to the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 8 February, 2000.
ANSWER: Provided by several members. Good, but not a record. Some have stored spherules a few years longer than this and still gotten reactivation. Peter Loidl reports successful reactivation (in 1999) of spherules from 1973!!
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CHROMOSOME NUMBER IN PHYSARUM?: I've been asked how many chromosomes (diploid) Physarum has and, given there have been reports of variability of chromosome number,
whether the number can vary REVERSIBLY. I.e. if the chromosome number for a strain is found to increase (e.g. with age) does it also at some point decrease? Can someone either answer this or refer me to the most current literature.
Reply to the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 19 January, 2000.
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EFFECTS OF HEAVY METALS ON PHYSARUM?: Moh'd Abu Arida would like to know of any studies of the effects of Nickel or Cobalt compounds on Physarum contractility, motility, chemotaxis, etc.
Reply to the questioner, (Moh'd Abu Arida), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 30 November, 1999.
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WATER PERMEABILITY OF PHYSARUM CYTOPLASM?: Lionel Jaffe would like to know if anyone has studied the transfer of water through plasmodia, e.g. by using some variant of the Kamiya double chamber as a means of looking at water flow when the two end chambers are set to differing osmotic pressures.
Reply to the questioner, (Lionel Jaffe), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 28 October, 1999.
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PHYSARUM AS BLOB FROM OUTER SPACE?: Gyorgyi Voros is looking for the original news report on an incident in Texas in the early 1980s (it was cited in a 1981 Audobon Field Guide) in which people thought some P. cinereum was a blob from outer space and got their fire department involved in "killing" the invader. Can you provide a reference?
Reply to the questioner, (Gyorgyi Voros via John Smith), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 7 September, 1999.
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PHYSARUM HISTONE3?: Jaap Waterborg is looking for Histone H3 sequences, clones (cDNA, genomic, partials, EST's), etc
Reply to the questioner, (Jakob Waterborg), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 28 May, 1999.
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FIND PHYSARUM IN SOUTHERN OREGON?: For the Biology Club at Southern Oregon University, can someone advise where to find some naturally-occuring Physarum?
Reply to the questioner,(Kevin Curran), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 12 March, 1999.
ANSWER: Provided by Henry Aldrich, 17 March, 1999. Suggested getting Stephenson and Stempen's, Myxomycetes, A Handbook of Slime Molds, provided tips on what to look for, and named two retired mycologists at Oregon State who might be contacted.
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EDIBLE SCLEROTIA?: Have you come across any information on the edibility of the sclerotial form of Physarum plasmodia? I have read that other species of slime molds have been eaten in the past.... Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated!
Reply to the questioner,(Ralph Arnold), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 26 June, 1998
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FATE OF THE NUCLEAR LAMINA DURING MITOSIS?: If nuclear divisions in organisms like Physarum are INTRA nuclear because their nuclear envelope does not break down in mitosis and chromosomal separation occurs inside the nucleus, then what happens to the nuclear lamina and the nuclear matrix vis a vis open division organisms? Any literature on this?
Reply to the questioner,(Len Troncale), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 26 June, 1998
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CHROMOSOME CONDENSATION?: Why do the chromosomes of Physarum stay condensed during interphase (as evidenced by the dark chromatin blobs in the nucleoplasm), since such chromosomes in other eucaryotes decondense more completely? Any literature on this?
Reply to the questioner,(Len Troncale), and/or the Webmaster, (Mark R. Adelman).
Question posted 26 June, 1998
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Last modified: Monday, June 23, 2003