Ref ID : 7756
Stephen F. NG and Ann Newman; The Macronuclear Anglage does not play an Essential Role in Stomatogenesis in Conjugation in Paramecium tetraurelia. Protistologica XXI(3):391-398, 1985
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The last stages of assembly of the oral apparatus in the conjugation of Paramecium tetraurelia take place shortly after the initiation of differentiation of the new macronuclei (anlagen). The question asked was whether macronuclear anlage differentiation was essential for these last stomatogenic steps. Conjugants were treated before and after pair-separation with colchicine to prevent differentiation of macronuclear anlagen. Oral membranellar differentiation, and the formation of postoral fibres and food vacuoles could be observed in exconjugants lacking macronuclear anlagen. This demonstrates that the differentiation of the macronuclear anlage was not indispensable in the last steps towards the completion of a functional oral apparatus, though its participation in an accessory capacity was not ruled out.