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Serological Types among Thirty‐one Strains of the Ciliated Protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis *
Author(s) -
LOEFER JOHN B.,
OWEN RAY D.,
CHRISTENSEN ELEANOR
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1958.tb02554.x
Subject(s) - tetrahymena pyriformis , biology , antiserum , serology , serotype , population , tetrahymena , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , antigen , antibody , sociology , demography
SYNOPSIS. Unabsorbed, complement‐inactivated antisera produced in rabbits were used in an immobilization system to study the serology of 31 strains of Tetrahymena pyriformis grown in axenic cultures at 26°C. Fourteen serological “groups” were found: 1. “H”: H, E, S, GC, L3, W, T, GHH, G1‐R and sublines W‐P and T‐P; 2. “PR”: PR; 3. “GL”: GL; 4. “LR”: LR; 5. “L1”: L1 and L2; 6. “GP”: GP and Ch‐S; 7. “WH”: WH6, WH14 and WH52; 8. “N”: N and HS; 9. “Y”: Y and TC; 10. “AA”: AA1, AA2 and AA4; 11. “F”: F and BF; 12. “Gf‐J”: Gf‐J; 13. “EZ”: EZ; 14. “Lava”: Lava. Not all of these “groups” were completely distinct; weak or variable cross‐reactions occurring for particular cultures and antisera during the course of several years of observation suggested a relationship in terms of serotype potentialities, for strains in groups 1 and 2, and in groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Non‐reciprocal cross‐reactions are tentatively explained in terms of population fluctuations of serotype within particular cultures; several other suggested explanations remain possible. On the whole, however, the strains remained remarkably stable in dominant serotype. Observations on Tetrahymena in paralyzing antisera, with respect to the extrusion of a gelatinous exudate, in general confirmed previous observations by others. “Chain” formation was noted upon recovery, under conditions suggesting that the chains do not always derive entirely from incomplete cytokinesis of dividing organisms but that at least sometimes an aggregation of separate individuals is also involved. Synchronized division was observed for recovering organisms. A gelatinous material was obtained by centrifugation of a large number of individuals; this material provided a degree of protection to the organisms against antiserum effects while other colloidal materials did not, but the protective effects proved nonspecific in the sense that they were not confined to particular strain‐antiserum combinations.