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Cellular and Environmental Variables Determining Numbers of Flagella in Temperature‐shocked Naegleria *
Author(s) -
DINGLE ALLAN D.
Publication year - 1979
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.1550-7408.1979.tb04204.x
Subject(s) - flagellate , flagellum , naegleria , biology , population , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , protozoa , genetics , botany , anatomy , demography , sociology
SYNOPSIS Naegleria gruberi amebae normally transform into biflagellated cells. When subjected to high temperatures during flagellate differentiation, populations develop an average of 4–5 flagella/flagellate. Attempts to maximize this phenomenon by altering cellular and environmental variables revealed that: (a) few Naegleria isolates become multiflagellated: strain NB‐1 gives the greatest response to heat shocks: (b) temperature is the most critical variable: highest numbers of flagella are obtained only if cells are temperature‐shocked at precisely 38.2 ± 0.1 C, then returned to 19–22 C to complete differentiation; (c) although pH alone does not affect numbers of flagella. a pH optimum of 5.5–7.0 exists for temperature‐shocked cells; and (d) single cells in microdrops become multiflagellated, but the population response is density‐dependent. Optimal conditions are described for growing, washing, and transforming amebae to generate reproducibly highest numbers of flagella.