Novel extracellular matrix and microtubule cables associated with pseudopodia of Astrammina rara, a carnivorous Antarctic foraminifer.

Astrammina rara is a benthic foraminiferan protozoan which uses an extensive network of fine, branching, and anastomosing pseudopodia to capture and digest metazoans up to 12 mm long. During such predation the pseudopodia appear remarkably elastic and tensile. Electron microscopy has revealed a novel extracellular matrix of thin branching fibers associated with A. rara's pseudopodia, which are otherwise typical in appearance. These fibers are structurally associated with the pseudopodial glycocalyx. Cytoplasmic microtubules are often found in close juxtaposition to the plasma membrane and overlying extracellular fibers. In the main pseudopodial trunks bundles of 30-300 microtubules are surrounded by a lightly staining matrix and linked by occasional bridges. The microtubules follow straight trajectories in distal filopodia, but in pseudopodial trunks they appear to coil around one another to form cables. These microtubular cables and extracellular fibers are novel features of A. rara's pseudopodia and may provide the structural basis for their tensile strength.