Effect of ultraviolet or laser light irradiation on the growth of Micrasterias thomasiana.

The effect of ultraviolet on laser light on growth of lobes in a green alga, Micrasterias thomasiana was investigated. During plasmolysis, the cell wall and the outermost region of the cytoplasm were separately irradiated with an ultraviolet or laser microbeam. Growth of the lobes was more effectively inhibited by irradiation of the cytoplasm than of the cell wall when the dose of irradiation was weak. Growth inhibition was observed in the irradiated cytoplasm where no apparent decrease in velocity of plasma streaming was seen, which suggested that irradiation caused more damage to the mechanism of exocytosis than to the migration of secretion vesicles. Strong irradiation resulted in gelatinization of the cytoplasm. With strong doses of irradiation on both the cytoplasm and cell wall, growth was completely inhibited.