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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 7420

Peter Kovacs, Werner E.G. Muller, and Gyorgy Csaba; A Lectin-like Molecule is Discharged from Mucocysts of Tetrahymena pyriformis in the Presence of Insulin. J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 44(5):487-491, 1997

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By use of a monoclonal antibody directed against purified lectin from the sponge Geodia cydonium it was demonstrated that the mucocysts of Tetrahymena pyriformis contain a substance immunologically similar to that found in G. cydonium. In extracts of T. pyriformis the monoclonal antibody recognizes a 36 kDa protein; binding could be abolished by adsorption of the antibody with (i) crude extract, (ii) purified lectin from G. cydonium and (iii) a 29 aa long peptide. In addition the data show that 10E-6 M of insulin causes first that release of mucocyst material, which reacts with the lectin antibody, and second its subsequent redistribution on the surface of the somatic cilia and the oral field.