Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T01:23:06.927Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Artificial induction of autogamy in Paramecium caudatum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

Yuuji Tsukii
Affiliation:
Biological Institute, Tohoku University, Aoba-yama, Sendai, 980 Japan
Koichi Hiwatashi
Affiliation:
Biological Institute, Tohoku University, Aoba-yama, Sendai, 980 Japan
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Three methods of artificial induction of autogamy in Paramecium caudatum were described: (1) treatment with KCl+papain, (2) treatment with KCl and then with KCl + papain and (3) ordinary mating reaction and then treatment with papain. As expected, one-to-one segregation ratios were obtained in the progeny from the parents heterozygous for the two loci: mating type and lactate dehydrogenase. A high rate of autogamy is induced by method (1), but its use is restricted to only a few clones. Autogamy is also induced at a high rate by method (2), by which the induction is more stable. Autogamy is induced at a lower rate by method (3), but this method can be widely applied to every species of Paramecium which has complementary mating types. Some exautogamous progeny become completely sterile through successive autogamy. The cause of this sterility is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

References

REFERENCES

Agatsuma, T. & Takeuchi, T. (1976). Genetic control of LDH isozymes in the house fly, Musca domestica. Biochemical Genetics 14, 441446.Google Scholar
Agatsuma, T. & Tsukii, Y. (1979). Genetic control of lactate dehydrogenase isozymes in Paramecium caudatum. Biochemical Genetics 17 (in press).Google Scholar
Cronkite, D. L. (1974). Genetics of chemical induction of conjugation in Paramecium aurelia. Genetics 76, 703714.Google Scholar
Cronkite, D. L. (1975). A suppressor gene involved in chemical induction of conjugation in Paramecium aurelia. Genetics 80, 1321.Google Scholar
Hammond, B. R. & Gutfreund, H. (1959). The mechanism of ficin-catalyzed reactions. Biochemical Journal 72, 349357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hiwatashi, K. (1968). Determination and inheritance of mating type in Paramecium caudatum. Genetics 58, 373386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hiwatashi, K. (1969). Paramecium. In Fertilization, vol. 2 (ed. Metz, C. B. and Monroy, A.), pp. 255293. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kitamura, A. & Hiwatashi, K. (1976). Mating-reactive membrane vesicles from cilia of Paramecium caudatum. Journal of Cell Biology 69, 736740.Google Scholar
Metz, C. B. (1954). Mating substances and the physiology of fertilization in ciliates. In Sex in micro-organisms (ed. Wenrich, O. H.), pp. 284334. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Mikami, K. & Koizumi, S. (1979). Induction of autogamy by treatment with trypsin in Paramecium caudatum. Journal of Cell Science 35, 177184.Google Scholar
Miyake, A. (1968 a). Chemical induction of nuclear reorganization without conjugating union in Paramecium multimicronucleatum. Proceedings of the XIIth International Congress of Genetics,Tokyo, 1, 72.Google Scholar
Miyake, A. (1968 b). Induction of conjugation by chemical agents in Paramecium. Journal of Experimental Zoology 167, 359380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Myohara, K. & Hiwatashi, K. (1978). Mutants of sexual maturity in Paramecium caudatum selected by erythromycin resistance. Genetics 90, 227241.Google Scholar
Sonneborn, T. M. (1970). Methods in Paramecium research. In Methods in Cell Physiology, vol. 4 (ed. Prescott, D. M.), pp. 241339. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Takahashi, M. (1979). Behavioral mutants in Paramecium caudatum. Genetics 91, 393408.Google Scholar
Takahashi, M. & Naitoh, Y. (1978). Behavioral mutants of Paramecium caudatum with defective membrane electrogenesis. Nature 271, 656659.Google Scholar
Tsukii, Y. & Hiwatashi, K. (1978). Inhibition of early events of sexual processes in Paramecium by concanavalin A. Journal of Experimental Zoology 205, 439446.Google Scholar
Watanabe, T. (1978). A scanning electron-microscopic study of the local degeneration of cilia during sexual reproduction in Paramecium. Journal of Cell Science 32, 5566.Google Scholar