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Odd Mating‐type Substances May Work as Precursor Molecules of Even Mating‐type Substances in Paramecium caudatum
Author(s) -
XU XUEHUA,
KUMAKURA MICHIHO,
KAKU EMI,
TAKAHASHI MIHOKO
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2001.tb00209.x
Subject(s) - mating type , biology , mating , paramecium caudatum , cytoplasm , antigen , western blot , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody , paramecium , genetics , gene
. Mating‐type substances are key molecules in the sexual recognition of the odd (O) and even (E) complementary mating‐type cells in Paramecium caudatum. Indirect evidence suggested that the substances were proteins and were located on ventral surface cilia. Monoclonal antibodies inhibiting the mating reactivity of the O cells have been obtained. Using these antibodies, we tried to detect antigen molecules as dot‐blot signals. Strong dot‐blot signals of antigens were only detected from the mating reactive cells, but they were not detected from the well‐fed and starved cells without mating reactivity. In addition to identifying the antigen on cilia and cytoplasm of the O cell, the antigen was detected from the cytoplasm of the E cells but never from their cilia. Furthermore, extracts of the E cells induced mating reaction with the living E cells but not with O cells. Thus, the O mating‐type substances exist in the cytoplasm of the E mating‐type cells, supporting strongly the hypothesis that O mating‐type substances are precursor molecules of the E mating‐type substances.