Ref ID : 7329
Adriano Podesta, Roberto Marangoni, Chiara Villani, and Giuliano Colombetti; A Rhodopsin-like Molecule on the Plasma Membrane of Fabrea salina. J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 41(6):565-569, 1994
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Immunofluorescence was used to reveal the presence of a rhodopsion-like molecule on the plasm membrane of the photoresponsive ciliate Fabrea salina. The ciliate, fixed on a glass support, showed a spontaneous red-orange fluorescence. Cells incubated with a fluoresceinated, anti-bovine opsin, sheep polyclonal antiserum showed instead a green fluorescence typical of fluorochrome excited at 436 nm, whereas cells incubated with a fluoresceinated, nonimmune sheep serum kept their original red fluorescence. Excess bovine opsin did not inhibit the antibody reaction, but detergent-coated purified bovine opsin was proven able to bind of the cell membrane. Since rhodopsin belongs to a gene-related protein family, which includes adrenergic or cholinergic receptors, the cell response to acute exposure to muscarinic and adrenergic agonist and antagonist drugs was investigated. Acetylcholine, atropine, hexamethonium, noradrenaline, or phenoxybenzamine in the culture medium (10E-4 M) did not influence motion behaviour nor phototaxis of Fabrea salina. These findings raise the possibility that a rhodopsin-like molecule is present on the surface of Fabrea salina. Nevertheless, they do not prove that this surface antigen is a rhodopsin, or that this molecule is responsible for photoresponsiveness in this organism.