Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Molecular and biochemical analysis of conjugation and adolescence in Tetrahymena thermophila

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7170731
A previously unrecognized stage in the development of sexual maturity in Tetrahymena thermophila, adolescence, has been described. When the progeny of successfully mated cells are grown logarithmically, they are unable to form mating pairs for about 65 generations. This period is known as immaturity. During the next stage, adolescence, the progeny pair with mature cells but not with other adolescent cells despite the presence of complementary mating types. Adolescence persists for 20-25 generations before the cells attain maturity (the ability to mate with any cell of different mating type). Once paired with mature cells, adolescents successfully complete conjugation was shown genetically. Mating pairs formed between adolescent and mature cells are indistinguishable from those formed between mature cells by the criteria of cytology and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of proteins extracted from mating pairs pulse-labelled with (/sup 35/S)methionine. An analysis of proteins induced during the first ten hours of conjugation was carried out using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The protein patterns obtained from all controls were similar. The synthesis of numerous large and basic proteins were induced during conjugation. The majority of the proteins were detected during meiosis and none were mating type specific. A library of micronuclear DNA was constructed in the plasmic PUC18. The library was screened by differential colony hybridization using cDNA complementary to polyA/sup +/ RNA isolated from conjugating and control cells. Eight recombinant clones were isolated which contain sequences transcriptionally induced in conjugating cells.
Research Organization:
Brandeis Univ., Waltham, MA (USA)
OSTI ID:
7170731
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

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) · OSTI ID:6393904
Pronuclear fusion failure: an alternate conjugational pathway in Tetrahymena thermophila, induced by vinblastine
Journal Article · Thu Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1988 · Genetics; (United States) · OSTI ID:6956062
Genomic organization and developmental fate of adjacent repeated sequences in a foldback DNA clone of Tetrahymena thermophila
Journal Article · Sat Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1987 · Genetics; (United States) · OSTI ID:5445709

Related Subjects

550201 -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
550401* -- Genetics-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AMINO ACIDS
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOCHEMISTRY
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CELL DIVISION
CHEMISTRY
CILIATA
CLONING
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DNA
DNA-CLONING
DRUGS
ELECTROPHORESIS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIPOTROPIC FACTORS
MEIOSIS
METHIONINE
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEI
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PLASMIDS
PROTEINS
PROTOZOA
RADIOISOTOPES
RECOMBINANT DNA
REPRODUCTION
SULFUR 35
SULFUR ISOTOPES
SYNTHESIS
TETRAHYMENA