Ref ID : 7720
Arno Tiedtke; Inhibition of Cell pairing in Tetrahymena thermophila by Antibodies against isolated Mucocysts. Protistologica XX(2):145-155, 1984
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Costimulation and pairing reaction are distinct cellular interactions leading to conjugation in Tetrahymena thermophila. The involvement of exocytotic organelles -mucocysts- in these preconjugant cell interactions has been studied by antiserum prepared against purified extruded mucocysts material. It is found that a) onset of pair formation is blocked for 1-2 hours, when antiserum is added during the minimum time interval (30 min) needed for constimulation; b) onset and progress of pair formation are inhibited for 2-3 hours, when cells were treated with antiserum 45-60 min following mixing of complementary cells. The results indicate blockage of costimulation and pairing reaction. Inhibition of preconjugant cell interactions is probably due to direct binding of antibodies to cell surface associated mucocyst components. Immunofluorescence reveals specific fluorescence of the surface of non-reactive cells and a particularly strong fluorescence around the pairing area of reactive cells and pairs. It is proposed that surface associated mucocyst components may stabilize cell-cell interactions and protect the pairing region.