Ref ID : 4382
Matsuoka Tatsuomi, Takahashi Makoto, Wada Keisuke, and Taneda Koji; Chemosensory Response in Blepharisma. I. Accumulation of Cells in Products of Bacterial Metabolism. J.Protozool. 39(2):329-333, 1992
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Blepharisma cells were attracted by a pellet of live bacteria (Enterobacter) which was separated from the Blepharisma suspension by a cellulose membrane (fractionation: M.W. 14,000). The cells, however, were not attracted by killed bacteria. Crude and heat-treated supernatants obtained from bacterial suspension also induced chemoaccumulation of cells. These results suggest that the cells of Blepharisma detect certain small molecules, produced by live bacteria, that can pass through the cellulose membrane and are stable to heat. From the live bacteria supernatant, several ninhydrin-positive substances were isolated by means of two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Several of the spots contained substances that attracted the cells, indicating that certain ninhydrin-positive components, such as peptides or free amino acids (probably products of bacterial metabolism), may serve as a signal for food.