Phototropin plays a crucial role in controlling changes in chemotaxis during the initial phase of the sexual life cycle in Chlamydomonas.

During sexual differentiation, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii changes its chemotactic behavior in response to ammonium. Just like gamete formation, the change in chemotaxis mode is controlled by the sequential action of two environmental cues, removal of ammonium or nitrate from the medium and light. Thus, vegetative cells and mating incompetent pre-gametes, the latter being generated by nitrogen starvation in the dark, exhibit chemotaxis towards ammonium.

Chemotactic behavior of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is altered during gametogenesis.

Chemotactic behavior of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is altered during the sexual life cycle. Unlike vegetative cells and noncompetent pregametes, mature gametes did not show chemotaxis to ammonium. Loss of chemotaxis to ammonium in mating-competent cells is controlled by gamete-specific genes that are common for both mating-type gametes.