A temperature-sensitive mutation affecting cilia regeneration, nuclear development, and the cell cycle of Tetrahymena thermophila is rescued by cytoplasmic exchange

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Mol. Cell. Biol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.8.7.2681· OSTI ID:6393904

Pennock, D G; Thatcher, T; Gorovsky, M A ^[1]

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1. Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY (US)

A temperature-sensitive mutation was isolated that blocks cilia regeneration and arrests growth in Tetrahymena thermophila. Protein and RNA synthesis and ATP production appeared to be largely unaffected at the restrictive temperature, suggesting that the mutation is specific for cilia regeneration and growth. At the restrictive temperature, mutant cells arrested at a specific point in the cell cycle, after macronuclear S phase and shortly before micronuclear mitosis. Arrested cels did not undergo nuclear divisions, DNA replication, or cytokinesis, so the mutation appears to cause true cell cycle arrest. Surprisingly, the mutation des not appear to affect micronuclear mitosis directly but rather some event(s) prior to micronuclear mitosis that must be completed before cells can complete the cell cycle. The cell cycle arrest was transiently complemented by wild-type cytoplasm exchanged during conjugation with a wild-type cell. Each starved, wild-type cell apparently contained enough rescuing factor to support an average of six cell divisions. Thus, this mutation affects assembly and/or function of at least one but not al of the microtubule-based structures in T. thermophila.

• OSTI ID: 6393904
• Journal Information: Mol. Cell. Biol.; (United States), Vol. 8:7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CELL CYCLE
GENE MUTATIONS
MICROTUBULES
TETRAHYMENA
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
ATP
DNA REPLICATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
METABOLISM
SENSITIVITY
ANIMALS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CILIATA
DATA
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
MICROORGANISMS
MUTATIONS
NUCLEIC ACID REPLICATION
NUCLEOTIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROTOZOA
560200* - Thermal Effects
550300 - Cytology
550400 - Genetics