Retention of lead within the digestive vacuole inTetrahymena

Abstract

The ciliateTetrahymena pyriformis was exposed to lead acetate. Cell proliferation in the presence of 0.1% lead salt (with or without EDTA) equaled, after a variable lag period, that of the control cells. The lead (550 ppm) forms a “fluffy” precipitate with the organic growth medium; this was in part prevented by addition of EDTA. The cells primarily ingested the “fluffy” precipitate whereby they became exposed to large amounts of lead. Within the digestive vacuole, the “fluffy” precipitate became converted into refractile structures (3 μm in diameter) which were egested and accumulated at the bottom of the culture flask. The lead content of these defecation balls was higher than that of the “fluffy” precipitate. In addition to the lead-containing vacuoles, the cells contained small, refractile granules. The apparent, high tolerance ofTetrahymena towards lead is believed to be due in part to the low ionic concentration of lead under the present conditions and in part to a “detoxication mechanism” consisting of retention of lead within the digestive vacuoles and perhaps of accumulation of lead within the small, refractile granules.