The minicollagen antibody (red) detects nematocysts (green) only in their immature form, before intermolecular disulfides form.

Engel/OUP

A switch from intramolecular to intermolecular disulfide bonds helps Hydra and related jellyfish to construct a capsule of enormous strength, according to a team of zoologists and biochemists.

The capsule, actually a specialized organelle called a nematocyst, is used by Hydra for defense, locomotion, and prey capture. Nematocysts contain a high concentration of poly-γ-glutamate, resulting in an internal pressure of up to 150 atmospheres that drives the explosive discharge of an internal spiny tubule when the organism is irritated or detects prey. This discharge has a maximum velocity of 2 m per second and an acceleration of 40,000 g, and is thus one of the fastest cellular processes in nature.

Nematocysts must have a strong wall to contain such pressure. Jürgen Engel (University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland)...

The Rockefeller University Press
2001
The Rockefeller University Press
2001
You do not currently have access to this content.