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Nutritional Effects of Nucleic Acids and Nucleic Acid Components on Cultures of the Suctorian Podophrya collini *
Author(s) -
PALINCSAR EDWARD E.
Publication year - 1959
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.1550-7408.1959.tb03951.x
Subject(s) - nucleic acid , paramecium aurelia , tetrahymena , biology , vacuole , dna , population , biochemistry , tetrahymena pyriformis , paramecium , demography , sociology , cytoplasm
SYNOPSIS.Podophrya collini was fed homozygous killer Paramecium aurelia (containing kappa particles DNA). The rate of giant formation in the suctorian population was then determined; controls were fed homozygous sensitive P. aurelia. No difference in the rate of giant formation was observed; the DNA contribution by the kappa particles was not enough to induce a higher rate of giant formation. Cultures of P. collini containing only animals of known uniform age were then fed controlled numbers of Tetrahymena pyriformis or sensitive P. aurelia after these ciliates had been pretreated with guanylic acid, 8‐azaguanine, commercial DNA or DNA isolated from Tetrahymena. Giant formation was increased after guanylic acid pretreatment, reduced after the 8‐azaguanine pretreatment, and unaffected after DNA pretreatment over a 5‐day test period. The changes in rate of giant formation are clearly caused by pretreatment agents. These agents reach the suctorian's metabolism via the food ciliates' food vacuoles before they are altered in the food vacuole.