{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Characterization of Crystals in Ciliate Paramecium bursaria Harboring Endosymbiotic Chlorella variabilis.
{Author}: Kodama Y;Kitatani A;Morita Y;
{Journal}: Curr Microbiol
{Volume}: 81
{Issue}: 9
{Year}: 2024 Jul 13
{Factor}: 2.343
{DOI}: 10.1007/s00284-024-03793-8
{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.