Ref ID : 4376
Howard E. Buhse, Jr., Sandra Nabazas, Catherine Buhrfeind, and Phillip E. Ryals; The Effects of the Lipogenic Inhibitor Cerulenin, on Macrostomal Cell Formation in Tetrahymena vorax. J.Protozool. 38(2):124-129, 1991
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Macrostomal cell formation is blocked by the antibiotic cerulenin at levels of 15 µg/ml or higher. Inhibition can be reversed up to 4 hr following cerulenin addition by washing and resuspending cells in new, noncerulenin-treated transforming principle. In these latter cases, additional time equal to the time spent in the inhibitor, is needed for cells to reach control values of transformation. Neither the addition of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol added alone or in combination with stearic acid, nor a mixture of lipids extracted from Tetrahymena vorax reversed the cerulenin effect. Radioisotope incorporation data showed while protein synthesis was reduced by the end of 1 hr and tetrahymanol synthesis by the end of 2 hr, little or no effect of this inhibitor occurred on RNA or fatty acid synthesis during these times. One interpretation of these results is that cerulenin, by preventing first protein synthesis and later tetrahymanol synthesis, interferes with synthesis and formation of membranes required for the microstome to macrostome transition.