Chemical Properties of Mating Substances in Paramecium caudatum: Effect of Various Agents on Mating Reactivity of Detached Cilia

[摘要] References(32)Cited-By(3)Mating reactive cilia of complementary mating types of Paramecium caudatum were isolated, treated with heat and several kinds of enzymes and chemicals for the purpose of studying the chemical nature of the mating substances. Mating reactivity was lost by treatment with trypsin, chymotrypsin and thermolysin. The isolated cilia retained mating reactivity after treatment with non-proteolytic enzymes, such as neuraminidase, hyaluronidase, lysozyme, β-glucosidase, phospholipase C and snake venom phospholipase A. The mating reactivity of cilia was lost by treatment with extreme pH, heat, some organic solvents and some detergents. No effect was detected on the mating reactivity of isolated cilia with SH-group agents, such as p-chloro-mercuribenzoate, N-ethymaleimide, dithiothreitole and 2-mercaptoethanol. The results suggest that the mating substances in P. caudatum are integral proteins of ciliary membranes and that SH-groups have no essential role in the mating reaction.

[学科分类] 分子生物学，细胞生物学和基因