Thigmotaxis in Paramecium caudatum is induced by hydrophobic or polyaniline-coated glass surface to which liver cells from rat adhere with forming multicellular spheroids

Abstract

Summary Paramecium caudatum shows thigmotaxis. Paramecium cells touch the object with the tips of their oral groove cilia and raise their posterior ends when they show thigmotactic behavior, inducible by changing the ionic condition of the surrounding medium. We found that the thigmotaxis of Faramecium could also be induced by changing the surface character of the chamber, e. g. by coating with highly hydrophobic groups or with doped-polyaniline, which is one of the best materials for the cultivation of hepatocytes from rat, that is hepatocytes adhere to the material with forming spheroids rapidly and keep up a high activity, such as secretion of albumin. We also found that hepatocytes reacted in this way to the hydrophobic surface of the chamber used here. Our results might suggest that Paramecium cells and hepatocytes show similar preferences for surface character in adhesion.