Abstract
We detected a HPLC peak corresponding to 6-keto-PGF1α, a stable metabolite of prostacyclin (PGI2), in [1-14C]arachidonate metabolites from the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. Quantitative analysis of 6-keto-PGF1α by enzyme immunoassay revealed that the synthesis and release were rapidly activated by the mechanical stimulation of a short centrifugation. The activation was suppressed significantly by a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ibuprofen, and was independent of the extracellular Ca2+. External addition of PGI2 and its stable analogue, beraprost, caused a transient increase in the tumbling frequency of swimming. Other prostanoids, PGE2 and PGF2α, have no effect on the swimming. These results indicate that a free-living ciliate, T. thermophila, synthesizes and has a specific sensitivity to PGI2.
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