Ref ID : 3711
Neerja Kaul, G.R. Sapra, and C.M.S. Dass; Intracellular Digestive Channel System in the Ciliate Stylonychia mytilus Ehrenberg. Arch.Protistenk 126:455-474, 1982
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In Stylonychia mytilus, the rate of ingestion and capacity to accomodate food organisms is very high. Ingested food organisms get distributed in definite regions; accordingly, three zone, 'A', 'B' and 'C', can be recognized in the cytoplasm. Zone 'A' is always devoid of food organisms, zone 'B' gets readily occupied with newly ingested food organisms while the zone 'C' is occupied only after the zone 'B' is filled up. The ultrastructure of S. mytilus reveals that its cytoplasm is differentiated into two structurally and functionally different compartments: (a) membrane bound ground cytoplasm with usual cell organelles and (b) an organized interconnected system of digestive channels with numerous tubular bodies about 50 nm in diameter. Channels are absent in zone 'A', while maximum concentration of channels is found in zone 'B'. During digestion, the food organisms always follow the path of the channels and are always surrounded by tubular bodies. Inside the channels, food organisms are devoid of food vacuole membrane. However, newly ingested Chlorogonium cells initially show a limiting membrane until they enter the digestive channels. Electron cytochemistry has revealed the presence of acid phosphatase in the tubular bodies of digestive channels, suggesting their role in the process of digestion.