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Studies on Feeding and Digestion in Protozoa. III. Acid Phosphatase Activity in Food Vacuoles of Paramecium multimicronucleatum
Author(s) -
MULLER M.,
TÖRÖ I.
Publication year - 1962
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.1550-7408.1962.tb02588.x
Subject(s) - vacuole , acid phosphatase , biology , protozoa , paramecium , phosphatase , yeast , biochemistry , enzyme assay , enzyme , botany , cytoplasm
SYNOPSIS. Acid phosphatase activity was studied in total mounts and sections of agnotobiotic Paramecium multimicronucleatum by the alpha‐naphthyl phosphate‐hexazotized rosanilin method. Timing was achieved by India ink marking of food vacuoles. Enzyme activity is present in small endoplasmic granules and in the greatest part of food vacuoles. Following an inactive stage (stage I) of an average length of 5 min the activity appears at the periphery of the vacuole, in most cases in the form of granules (stage II). A high activity level (stage III) is attained within 1 1/2 min and maintained for the most part of the vacuolar cycle. The activity disappears only in the latest vacuoles before egestion (stage IV). The appearance of activity is not concurrent with but succeeding to the maximum of vacuolar acidity as ascertained by feeding Congo red stained killed yeast cells. On the basis of these results the food vacuoles may be looked upon as belonging to the lysosomes sensu lato.