Ref ID : 3878
I. Joan Lorch and Kwang W. Jeon; Resuscitation of amebae deprived of essential symbiotes: Micrurgical studies. J.Protozool. 27(4):423-426, 1980
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The effect of depletion and restoration of obligatory bacterial endosymbiotes on Amoeba proteus strain xD was studied. Removal of the symbiotes by culturing the amebae at 26.5 C resulted in loss of viability of the host cells, indicating that this strain is dependent on its endosymbiotes for survival. Amebae depleted of bacteria could initially be resuscitated by injection of isolated symbiotes, but prolonged deprivation led to irreversible changes. Nuclei of aposymbiotic amebae were viable when transplanted into the cytoplasm of normal cells, but the symbiote-depleted cytoplasm of heat-treated amebae could not be resuscitated bu renucleation. No immediate ultrastructural changes were detected in aposymbiotic amebae except for clumping of nucleoli. Thus it appears that the symbiote performs an essential function as a cytoplasmic constituent.