Open AccessEffects of antibiotics on the early infection process of a macronuclear endosymbiotic bacterium Holospora obtusa of Paramecium caudatum
Author(s) -
Dohra Hideo,
Fujishima Masahiro
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb08765.x
Subject(s) - paramecium caudatum , macronucleus , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , bacteria , ciliate , vacuole , paramecium , antibiotics , host (biology) , cytoplasm , protozoa , chloramphenicol , genetics
We examined the effects of antibiotics involved in bacterial DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and host protein synthesis on the early infection process of the bacterium Holospora obtusa , a macronucleus‐specific symbiont of the ciliate Paramecium caudatum . Infection of the host macronucleus by the bacterium was not inhibited by mitomycin C, rifampicin and chloramphenicol. However, ingestion of the bacterium into the host digestive vacuoles and escape of the bacterium from the vacuoles to the host cytoplasm were significantly arrested with emetine. The results suggest that newly synthesized host proteins play an important role in the early infection process.