Abstract:
Protists, including ciliates retain crystals in their cytoplasm. However, their functions and properties remain unclear. To comparatively analyze the crystals of Paramecium bursaria, a ciliate, associated with and without the endosymbiotic Chlorella variabilis, we investigated the isolated crystals using a light microscope and analyzed their length and solubility. A negligible number of crystals was found in P. bursaria cells harboring symbiotic algae. The average crystal length in alga-free and algae-reduced cells was about 6.8 μm and 14.4 μm, respectively. The crystals of alga-free cells were spherical, whereas those of algae-reduced cells were angular in shape. The crystals of alga-free cells immediately dissolved in acids and bases, but not in water or organic solvents, and were stable at - 20 °C for more than 3 weeks. This study, for the first time, reveals that the characteristics of crystals present in the cytoplasm of P. bursaria vary greatly depending on the amount of symbiotic algae.
摘要:
原生生物,包括纤毛虫在细胞质中保留晶体。然而,它们的功能和属性仍不清楚。为了比较分析草履虫的晶体,纤毛虫,与内共生小球藻相关和不相关,我们使用光学显微镜研究了分离的晶体,并分析了它们的长度和溶解度。在带有共生藻类的P.bursaria细胞中发现的晶体数量可忽略不计。无藻类和藻类减少的细胞中的平均晶体长度约为6.8μm和14.4μm,分别。无藻细胞的晶体呈球形,而藻类减少的细胞的形状是棱角的。无藻细胞的晶体立即溶解在酸和碱中,但不能在水或有机溶剂中,并且在-20°C下稳定超过3周。这项研究,第一次,揭示了存在于毛囊孢菌细胞质中的晶体的特征根据共生藻类的数量而变化很大。