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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 4223

Norman E. Williams; The Nature and Organization of Filaments in the Oral Apparatus of Tetrahymena. J.Protozool. 33(3):352-358, 1986

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Filaments in the oral apparatus of Tetrahymena appear similar, but not identical, to the intermediate filaments of multicellular organisms. The mean diameter of filaments measured in the present study was 16.4 nm, but the range of variation was much greater than has been reported for intermediate filaments. The organization of filaments within the oral apparatus has been studied by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and immunogold localization at the electron microscopical level using antiserum raised in rabbits against the major subunit protein of the oral filaments (87 K). The filaments were found to be organized into cables, network, and chambers or cages which encase the basal bodies. At the highest level of organization, the filaments connect into a rigid framework capable of maintaining the overall architecture in the absence of microtubules. Like intermediate filaments, the oral filaments are insoluble at high ionic strength, have evolutionarily non-conservative subunit proteins, are probably non-contractile, and serve to stabilize persistent cellular architecture.