Food Vacuole Formation Research Articles

Particulate material as a prerequisite for rapid cell multiplication in Tetrahymena cultures

1. 1. Tetrahymena pyriformis GL, cultivated axenically in 2 % proteose peptone in slanted test tubes at 28°C, had a population doubling time of more than 40 h when the medium was sterilized by asbestos pad or membrane filtration. Under these conditions the cultures could not be propagated successfully. 2. 2. The doubling time was reduced to 5 h or less when the medium was sterilized in the autoclave instead of by filtration. 3. 3. Various additives improved the growth potential of the sterile-filtered proteose peptone. These included both insoluble materials such as talcum, quartz, clay and calcium carbonate, and water-soluble compounds which through hydrolytic decomposition readily produce insoluble particles in aqueous solution, as, for example, ferrous ammonium sulphate, ferrous sulphate and potassium aluminium sulphate. Other water-soluble compounds such as amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, vitamins and glucose, added either singly or in combination to the sterile-filtered broth, did not significantly improve the rate of cell multiplication. 4. 4. The average number of food vacuoles present in the cells of a culture was observed to be correlated with the growth potential of the medium. 5. 5. On the basis of these observations it is suggested that formation of food vacuoles in Tetrahymena induced by the presence of particulate material is a condition for rapid multiplication of the cells.

An ultrastructural study of ingestion and digestion in Tetrahymena pyriformis.

SYNOPSIS. When the structures involved in digestive events in T. pyriformis are examined at the electron microscope level, some information is added to that long known from light microscopy. The food trapping mechanism consists of the three membranelles, undulating membrane, oral ribs, and a “valve” apparently closing the opening to the cytopharynx. Both of the latter structures are supported by microtubules. Fibers extend internally from the cytopharynx and are closely associated with the food vacuole as it forms.Clear vacuoles resembling pinocytic vacuoles appear to arise from differentiated areas of the pellicle and plasma membrane. These vacuoles may fuse with primary lysosomes. Hydrolases are thus contributed to the pinocytic vacuoles which may then fuse with food vacuoles. When first formed food vacuoles contain no hydrolases but may acquire them directly, from primary lysosomes or from pinocytic vacuoles. Digestion proceeds to completion in the food vacuole, at which time soluble food products are released to the cytoplasm. Undigested materials are lost through the cytopyge. In stationary growth phase cells autophagic vacuoles form containing mitochondria and other cellular particulates. Such vacuoles probably contain hydrolases when formed and they may receive others by fusion with primary lysosomes.

Pinocytotic uptake and the digestion of hemoglobin in malaria parasites.

SYNOPSIS. Electron micrographs of sections of Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax schwetzi and P. ovale in chimpanzees, and of P. gonderi in mangabeys and P. coatneyi in rhesus monkeys showed that all these malaria parasites feed on their host cell by pinocytosis. As in P. lophurae and P. berghei droplets of host cytoplasm are engulfed by the parasites through invaginations of the plasma membrane with the subsequent formation of food vacuoles. Digestion of the content of the food vacuoles follows two patterns. In P. falciparum as in P. lophurae digestion takes place within the food vacuoles, in which hemozoin, the residue of hemoglobin digestion, accumulates. In P. vivax schwetzi, P. ovale, P. gonderi and P. coatneyi vesicles are pinched off from the food vacuoles and digestion takes place in these small vesicles. As in P. berghei hemozoin is not present in the food vacuole proper but only in the small vesicles, indicating that they are the site of hemoglobin digestion.Malaria parasites are surrounded by two membranes, and they contain all the major nuclear and cytoplasmic organelles present in other cells with the exception of mitochondria, which were found only in P. lophurae and possibly in P. falciparum. All other plasmodia possess instead a structure composed of concentric double membranes. It is assumed that this structure performs mitochondrial functions.

Effects of radiation on cell and nuclear growth in Paramecium aurelia

1. 1. Specimens of Paramecium aurelia, syngen 4, stock 51 were irradiated with 66 kr of X-rays or 485 to 970 ergs/mm 2 of 2537 Å ultraviolet 1 hr after division, and the growth of various cellular components was followed by microspectrophotometry, microinterferometry, and autoradiography. 2. 2. The rate of growth in total dry weight of the individual cell is immediately decreased and recovers later in the interdivision interval. 3. 3. The completion of the synthesis of macronuclear DNA, RNA, and protein is also delayed either by delay in onset of these syntheses, by decrease in the rate of the syntheses, or perhaps both. 4. 4. Division is delayed sufficiently by the doses used so that by the first division after irradiation the paramecia have essentially the same total dry weight and same size of macronuclei as the dividing controls. 5. 5. The duplication of the micronucleus is delayed by about 2 hr by 66 kr of X-rays, and the postduplication interphase is decreased or eliminated. 6. 6. Food vacuole formation is almost completely inhibited immediately after X-irradiation and the inhibition of increase in total dry weight is directly attributable to this circumstance. It is not clear how far the other effects of radiation are caused by the inhibition of ingestion, but the effects of limited food and of radiation are not identical in all respects. 7. 7. The control data confirm previous studies on growth of Paramecium and add the information that the rate of food vacuole formation increases continuously during the interdivision interval.

Intracellular phagotrophy in Babesia rodhaini as revealed by electron microscopy.

SYNOPSIS. An electron microscope study of thin sections of Babesia rodhaini parasitizing mouse erythrocytes showed that this intracellular parasite feeds on its host cell in the same way as do malarial parasites. Large portions of erythrocyte cytoplasm are engulfed by invaginations of the plasma membrane leading to the formation of food vacuoles. The digestion of hemoglobin seems to be complete in Babesia since no pigment (hemozoin) could be detected either in the food vacuoles or in the cytoplasm.The fine structure of Babesia rodhaini is very similar to that of Plasmodium berghei. In both, typical mitochondria are lacking. Instead a structure was found composed of concentric membranes which it is assumed might perform mitochondrial functions. As in Plasmodium berghei a double‐membraned vacuole with a matrix of low density is present in almost all sections. The endoplasmic reticulum is represented by small vesicles; the ground‐substance is filled with Palade's small particles. The nucleus is large and surrounded by two membranes.Babesia reproduces by budding and binary fission. Reproduction is not easy to identify since the parasite forms large pseudopods resembling stages in division.

Phagotrophy and two new structures in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei.

Blood collected from rats infected with Plasmodium berghei was centrifuged and the pellet was fixed for 1 hour in 1 per cent buffered OsO(4) with 4.9 per cent sucrose. The material was embedded in n-butyl methacrylate and the resulting blocks sectioned for electron microscopy. The parasites were found to contain, in almost all sections, oval bodies of the same density and structure as the host cytoplasm. Continuity between these bodies and the host cytoplasm was found in a number of electron micrographs, showing that the bodies are formed by invagination of the double plasma membrane of the parasite. In this way the host cell is incorporated by phagotrophy into food vacuoles within the parasite. Hematin, the residue of hemoglobin digestion, was never observed inside the food vacuole but in small vesicles lying around it and sometimes connected with it. The vesicles are pinched off from the food vacuole proper and are the site of hemoglobin digestion. The active double limiting membrane is responsible not only for the formation of food vacuoles but also for the presence of two new structures. One is composed of two to six concentric double wavy membranes originating from the plasma membrane. Since no typical mitochondria were found in P. berghei, it is assumed that the concentric structure performs mitochondrial functions. The other structure appears as a sausage-shaped vacuole surrounded by two membranes of the same thickness, density, and spacing as the limiting membrane of the body. The cytoplasm of the parasite is rich in vesicles of endoplasmic reticulum and Palade's small particles. Its nucleus is of low density and encased in a double membrane. The host cells (reticulocytes) have mitochondria with numerous cristae mitochondriales. In many infected and intact reticulocytes ferritin was found in vacuoles, mitochondria, canaliculi, or scattered in the cytoplasm.

The Effect of Temperature on Food-Vacuole Formation in Paramecium

cE cE effects of temperature on growth, movement, and excretion in the Protozoa have been studied by a number of investigators, but at present the literature contains no data pertaining to the effect of temperature on food-vacuole formation in the genus Paramecium. The purpose of the present investigation was to devise a method by which the effect of temperature on food-vacuole formation could be studied and to obtain data concerning this effect for Paramecium caudatum, P. aurelia, and P. multimicronucleatum.

The Effect of pH on Food-Vacuole Formation in Paramecium

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe Effect of pH on Food-Vacuole Formation in ParameciumJ. Warren LeeJ. Warren Lee Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 15, Number 4Oct., 1942 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.15.4.30151659 Views: 13Total views on this site Citations: 9Citations are reported from Crossref Journal History This article was published in Physiological Zoology (1928-1998), which is continued by Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (1999-present). PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Paola Ramoino Changes in the rate of food vacuole formation during early clonal life of Paramecium primaurelia, Bolletino di zoologia 60, no.22 (Jan 1993): 143–146.https://doi.org/10.1080/11250009309355803Paola Ramoino, Tina Crippa Franceschi Food vacuole formation in the culture life of Paramecium primaurelia mating type I and mating type II lines, Bolletino di zoologia 59, no.44 (Jan 1992): 401–405.https://doi.org/10.1080/11250009209386700Renate Meier, Wolfgang Wiessner Infection of algae-free Paramecium bursaria with symbiotic Chlorella sp. Isolated from green paramecia, European Journal of Protistology 24, no.11 (Dec 1988): 69–74.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0932-4739(88)80011-7Neerja Kaul, G.R. Kaul Feeding Behaviour and Digestion Pattern in Stylonychia mytilusEhrenberg, Archiv für Protistenkunde 127, no.22 (Jan 1983): 167–180.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-9365(83)80033-5JAMES D. BERGER Kinetics of Incorporation of DNA Precursors from Ingested Bacteria into Macronuclear DNA of Paramecium aurelia 12, The Journal of Protozoology 18, no.33 (Apr 2007): 419–429.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.1971.tb03347.xR.P. HALL NUTRITION AND GROWTH OF PROTOZOA, (Jan 1967): 337–404.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-011846-8.50008-6J. WARREN LEE, WILLIAM McCALL Effects of pH and Viscosity on Surface Membranes in Paramecium multimicronucleatum, The Journal of Protozoology 6, no.22 (Apr 2007): 146–149.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.1959.tb03941.xFloyd J. Wiercinski The pH of Animal Cells, (Jan 1955): 117–172.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-5451-9_2 J. Warren Lee The Effect of pH on Forward Swimming in Euglena and Chilomonas, Physiological Zoology 27, no.33 (Sep 2015): 272–275.https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.27.3.30152169

The Additive Effects of Radon and Neutral Red uponChaos chaos

IN THE present investigation, during observations of irradiated ameba, Chaos chaos, subjected to roentgen rays or to radon emanations, food vacuole formation, and digestion appear to be in no way inhibited by radiation. With this in mind, cultures of Chaos chaos were stained with weak solutions of neutral red (Koehring, 10) for several days before irradiation. The stained vacuoles and the behavior of newly formed vacuoles were carefully watched for many days after irradiation. No abnormal staining or vacuole behavior was observed, and no abnormal functioning of digestion or of proteolytic enzymes could thus be suspected. Heavy dosages of radiation—up to 10,000 roentgen units delivered in one dose, and 4,225 millicurie-hours of radon—do not prove to be directly harmful to weakly stained or to unstained amebae. The relation of short wave radiation to enzymes in vitro is problematical, with some evidence that irradiated enzymes are partially inactive (Schomer, 21). Reports of irradiation of enzymes in vivo ha...

Quantitative Studies on the CiliateGlaucoma

ABSTRACTGlaucoma was cultured in various concentrations of bacteria which were kept as constant as possible. The rate of disappearance of the bacteria was a function of the concentration of the Glaucoma. In low concentrations of bacteria the rate of feeding of the Glaucoma was a function of the concentration of bacteria. In high concentrations of bacteria the Glaucoma were able to find almost as much food as they could take in; so that the rate of feeding tended to become independent of the concentration of bacteria. Counts of food vacuoles showed that the rate of feeding never became quite independent of the concentration of bacteria. For every increase in the concentration, up to at least 8,000,000 bacteria per cu. mm., there was an increase in the rate of formation of food vacuoles. High concentrations of bacteria did not inhibit the growth or the reproduction of the Glaucoma. When the concentration of bacteria was less than 600,000 per cu. mm. the Glaucoma were semi-starved and both their size and their rate of fission was dependent on the concentration. Between concentrations of 600,000 and 7,000,000 bacteria per cu. mm. the rate of growth in size, but not the rate of fission of Glaucoma, was influenced by the concentration. The generation-time was constant throughout this range at between 2-3 and 2-4 hours.

The Effect of the H-ion Concentration on Protozoa, as Demonstrated by the Rate of Food Vacuole Formation in Colpidium

ABSTRACT In a short communication to the British Association at Leeds (1927) Saunders pointed out that the average number of vacuoles ingested by Colpidium in a given time, when fed with suspensions of Indian ink, varied with the H-ion concentration. The present series of experiments represent an attempt to analyse in greater detail the effect of the hydrogen-ion concentration on Colpidium, particularly in respect to its effect on the formation of food vacuoles. The work was carried out under the direction of Mr J. T. Saunders, to whom I owe my thanks for much help.

HYDROGEN-ION CONCENTRATION OF PROTOZOAN CULTURES

Previous articleNext article FreeJournal ArticlesHYDROGEN-ION CONCENTRATION OF PROTOZOAN CULTURESJOSEPH HALL BODINEJOSEPH HALL BODINEZOÖLOGICAL LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Search for more articles by this author ZOÖLOGICAL LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 41, Number 2August 1921 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/1536766 Views: 166Total views on this site Citations: 2Citations are reported from Crossref © 1921 Marine Biological LaboratoryPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article: J. Warren Lee The Effect of pH on Food-Vacuole Formation in Paramecium, Physiological Zoology 15, no.44 (Sep 2015): 459–465.https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.15.4.30151659 G. Evelyn Hutchinson Ecological Aspects of Succession in Natural Populations, The American Naturalist 75, no.760760 (Oct 2015): 406–418.https://doi.org/10.1086/280983

I. On the constitution and mode of formation of food vacuoles in Infusoria, as illustrated by the history of the processes of digestion in Carchesium polypinum

Since the time that Ehrenberg first formulated his celebrated “polygastric” theory, there have been few writers on the Infusoria who have not confirmed his observations while combating the interpretation of them given by him. For it was shown long ago that the “Magenzellen” of Ehrenberg are spherical food masses, and these, circulating with varying rapidity in the “endoplasm,” are so striking optically in most Infusoria that the literature of this group abounds in descriptions of or references to them. There is, however, a lack of any details which would throw light on the precise mode of origin of these ingesta, and yet this point has interest, for, while relatively large food masses are swallowed by certain of the ciliate Infusoria, very many forms are adapted only for the inception of minute solid particles, which seem far removed from the relatively large masses so noticeable within the animals.