棘尾虫接合生殖期间核对形态发生的影响

本文完成了四项实验,即1.促成棘尾虫无小核系与有小核系接合;2.诱导无小核系自系接合;3.在正常接合对上摘除全部大核或一个接合体的大核及小核;4.在正常接合后体上对老大核碎块和新大核胚基进行损伤实验。以改进过的黑色素法显示这些实验的结果,发现第一次接合形态发生和小核的有性过程都主要是由大核支持的,小核在第一次形态发生中也起重要作用。这些核产物可从一个有核接合体穿过细胞质桥去支持另一无核接合体的发育。本文还发现接合第二次形态发生由新大核胚基控制。损伤染色体和多线染色体时期的大核胚基,第二次形态发生消失或不正带。越过第二次形态发生的大核胚基显著增强耐受损伤的能力,这些结果符合Prescott等(1973)对棘尾虫大核遗传装置的设想。     

上海四膜虫的胞质配合

对上海四膜虫（Ｔｅｔｒａｈｙｍｅｎａ ｓｈａｎｇｈａｉｅｎｓｉｓ）有小核细胞和无小核细胞的接合过程进行了跟踪观察,发现在四膜虫中也存在胞质配合（ｃｙｔｏｇａｍｙ）。在接合对中,有小核细胞一方可以完成正常的减数分裂过程,既有配子核的形成、配子核的融合、配子核分裂,最终形成两个有小核的子细胞。虽然有小核细胞的配子核并不进入无小核细胞,但是两细胞间却有细胞的迁移与交换。在整个接合过程中,无小核细胞的大核     

双小核草履虫在遗传学研究中的应用

双小核草履虫(Paraecium aurelia)比尾草履虫(P.caudatum)较为小些(长约135微米,宽35—40微米),细胞内含有一个多倍体的大核和两个双倍体的小核(尾草履虫则含有一个大核和一个小核)。双小核草履虫的有性生殖及其遗传学双小核草履虫的接合生殖开始时,两个草履虫先在近前端的无纤毛区附着,以后,附着区逐渐扩大,咽道区的膜发生融合,两个接合体之间产生了细胞质通道。随着每个接合体内的大核渐趋瓦解,而所含的两个小核均发生减数分裂,经过连续二次分裂后,每个细胞内的小核数变为8个。接着每个细胞的8个小核有7个瓦解,剩下的各一个单倍体小核经有丝分裂产生两个配子核,其中一个是动核,另一个是静核。两个接合体中的动核经过细胞质通道各自移到对方细胞中,与对方的静核结合成合子核。两     

冠突伪尾柱虫有性生殖期间皮膜发育的核控制

通过显微手术去小核建立多个冠突伪尾柱虫（Pseudourostyla cristata)无小细胞系,并诱导它们与有小核细胞进行接合生殖,以评估小核及其衍生的大核原基在有性生殖期间对皮膜形态发生的影响,当无小核接合体从有小核配偶获得1枚配子核后,接合双方不仅能平行地继续核器演化,而且使第1次皮膜改组能够同步进行和正常发育,说明小核在有性周期中除了生殖功能外仍保留着某些控制皮膜发育的体功能,虽然大部分接合后体的大核原基在DNA贫乏期停止发育,但少数接合后体能够超越这一时期,并启动第2次皮膜改组和顺利完成其后续的有性发育全程,表明指令发动第2次皮膜发育的信号来自DNA贫乏期后以排出一核物质团块为标志的大核原基。     

棘尾虫接合期间染色体行为的观察

本文对棘尾虫接合生殖各时期的小核发育及染色体行为进行了观察,见到接合期间每种属于小核的分裂均有染色体的形成。获得了小核减数分裂的清晰图象。在蛋白银制品上发现了核内非染色体成分的细微细微结构、初充了前人观察的不足。     

冠突伪尾柱虫接合过程中小核的形态发生作用

为查明有性生殖期间小核对形态发生的影响程度和范围 ,我们利用蛋白银染色对冠突伪尾柱虫不同交配型无小核体之间的接合过程进行了跟踪观察。结果表明 :无小核细胞的交配反应能力明显下降 ;接合双方第一次皮膜形态发生如常进行 ,但纤毛器原基分化往往出现异常 ;接合后体照常进入拟包囊阶段 ,但原有纤毛器多不从皮膜上消失 ;由于没有新核器形成 ,均不能启动第二次形态发生并于拟包囊早期解体死亡。因此 ,小核对于维持接合早期及第一次皮膜改组的正常进行具有某些明显作用 ,其衍生的大核原基对于启动后续的发育则是绝对必要的     

棘尾虫接合生殖期间大核功能的研究

为了澄清棘尾虫接合期间大核对小核发育和皮层形态发生的作用,完成了大核摘除,放线菌素D处理,H~3-尿嘧啶核苷标记等实验。摘核实验证明,一个接合体的大核可以通过细胞质桥支持另一除去大核的接合体发育。即使保留接合对大核总数的1/8,这种支持作用仍然存在。还发现来自大核的支持物作用于形态发生更易于作用于小核发育,并对两个接合体的形态发生作用相等,对两个接合体小核发育的作用不等。摘除四分之三大核的实验证明,小核发育和皮层更新在接合后15小时内都不能脱离对残留大核的依赖。放线菌素D处理实验证明,接合后RNA的合成需积累到8.5小时,才可满足核与皮层发育的需要。H~3-尿嘧啶核苷标记实验也支持接合后前9小时内RNA都在持续合成的结论。本文对摘核实验和放线菌素D处理实验结果的差别、以及本文结果与前人结果的差别都做了讨论。     

瘦尾虫的小核在无性繁殖周期中对细胞形态结构的影响

通过显微切割建立瘦尾虫无小核细胞系,并与原细胞系及切割后再生的有小核细胞系进行对照观察。结果表明,无小核细胞的形态结构,尤其是口器出现高比率的畸形。在生长静止期,无小核细胞系群体中约23 % (36/155)的细胞完全失去了波动膜。与此同时,这些细胞的口围带也显出异常。一些无小核细胞的大核也出现异常,有的细胞仅含有1枚大核,有的则含有4枚,而不是通常的2枚;还有少数细胞的大核在非细胞分裂期进行分裂。上述结果提示,在无性繁殖周期中,瘦尾虫的小核对于维持正常的细胞形态结构、尤其是保持胞口结构的稳定性和大核数的恒定起着重要的作用[动物学报52 (2) : 383 -388 , 2006]。     

冠窦伪尾柱虫接合过程中小核的形态发生作用

为查明有性生殖期间小核对形态发生的影响程度和范围,我们利用蛋白银染色对冠突伪尾柱虫不同交配型无小核体之间 的接合过程进行了跟踪观察。结果表明：无小核细胞的交配反应能力明显下降;接合双方第一次皮膜形态发生如常进行,但纤毛器原基分化往往出现异常;接合后体照常进入拟包囊阶段,但原有纤毛器多不从皮膜上消失。由于没有新核器形成,均不能启动第二次形态发生并于拟包囊早期解体死亡。因此,小核对于纤维接合早期及第一次皮膜改组的正常进行具有某些明显作用,其衍生的大核原基对于启动后续的发育则是绝对必要的。     

筛选冠突伪尾柱虫有小核细胞系和无小核细胞系饥饿期差异表达的ESTs

利用显微切割的方法建立大型腹毛目纤毛虫———冠突伪尾柱虫(Pseudourostyla cristata)的无小核细胞系,分别提取有小核和无小核细胞系的总RNA,用SMART-PCR方法直接合成dscDNA,进而运用抑制性消减杂交技术(Sup-pression subtractive hybridization,SSH)对冠突伪尾柱虫去小核前后的差异表达基因进行研究,构建了有与无小核细胞系在饥饿期差异表达基因的消减文库,随机挑取了284个克隆,应用cDNA阵列技术鉴定阳性克隆。将鉴定出的17个阳性克隆进行Blastx分析,结果表明17个EST(Expressed sequence tag)均可能与小核体功能密切相关,此为进一步阐明小核的遗传机理奠定了基础。     

An amicronucleate mutant of Tetrahymena thermophila

A stable amicronucleate strain of Tetrahymena thermophila was isolated following nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. The mutant has the same growth rate and viability as the micronucleate parent strain, and has no micronucleus detectable by chromatin-specific staining in vegetative growth or during conjugation. The mutant pairs with normal efficiency with cells of complementary mating type. Matings of the mutant with aneuploid strains which lose their micronucleus during meiosis produced cell pairs yielding one viable and one inviable cell. The mutant receives a micronucleus from a normal mating partner, but this micronucleus is lost by the mutant cells within two hundred generations.     

Evidence for Micronuclear Function During Vegetative Growth and Reproduction of the Ciliate, Tetrahymena pyrijormis

An amicronucleate clone of Tetrahymena pyrijormis has been found among the asexual progeny of irradiated cells of strain EU 6000 (variety 6, mating type I). Log-phase cells of this clone, designated EU 6525, have a mean generation time (6.0 hr) longer than that of the micronucleate strain, EU 6000 (2.9 hr). Further irradiation studies of strain EU 6000 indicate that the recovery of viable amicronucleate populations is rare although many amicronucleate cells are found among surviving progeny.¹ Attempts to introduce micronuclei into amicronucleate cells of strain EU 6525 by conjugation have been made. Micronucleate lines are obtained from amicronu create pair members only in low frequency. These results, considered together with those of other workers, suggest that some change in the state of the cell, additional to the physical loss (or gain) of the micronucleus, must occur before viable amicronucleate clones can be obtained from micronucleate cells, or before amicronucleate cells can produce viable micronucleate lineages. An alteration in mean generation time may be a reflection of this change, or it may simply be a direct consequence of micronuclear removal. The results further imply that the ciliate micronucleus unquestionably contributes information to the cell during asexual growth and reproduction.     

Stomatogenesis during sexual and asexual reproduction in an amicronucleate strain of Paramecium caudatum.

Amicronucleate cells of Paramecium caudatum, whose micronuclei have been artifically removed by micropipetting, are characterized by the appearance of a deciliated area at the posterior part of the buccal opening. These cells form food vacuoles at a slightly lower rate than micronucleate cells. Their mean interfission time is longer than that in micronucleates. The exconjugants of amicronucleate cells can not form food vacuoles and eventually die witout fission, though conjugation proceeds normally in them as well as in their micronucleate mate. The oral apparatus of amicronucleate exconjugants seems to be shallower than that of micronucleates. The membranellar cilia, therefore, can be seen through the buccal overture by scanning electron microscope. The results obtained from the cross of micronucleate and amicronucleate strains and from the induction of autogamy in amicronucleate strains suggest that the micronucleus has a primary role in developing the normal oral apparatus after nuclear reorganization.     

Behavior of germinal micronuclei under control of the somatic macronucleus during conjugation in Paramecium caudatum.

In conjugating pairs of Paramecium caudatum, the micronuclear events occur synchronously in both members of the pair. To find out whether micronuclear behavior is controlled by the somatic macronucleus or by the germinal micronucleus, and whether or not synchronization of micronuclear behavior is due to intercellular communication between conjugating cells, the behavior of the micronucleus was examined after removal of the macronuclei from either or both cells of a mating pair at various stages of conjugation. When macronuclei were removed from both cells of a pair, micronuclear development was arrested 1 to 1.5 hr after macronuclear removal. When the macronucleus of a micronucleate cell mating with an amicronucleate cell was removed later than 3 to 3.5 hr of conjugation, that is, an early stage of meiotic prophase of the micronucleus, micronuclear events occurred normally in the operated cell. These results suggest that most micronuclear events are under the control of the macronucleus and that the gene products provided by the macronucleus are transferable between mating cells. One such product is required for induction of micronuclear division and is provided just before metaphase of the first meiotic division of the micronucleus. This factor is effective at a lower concentration in the cytoplasm and/or is more transferable between mating cells than the factors required for other stages. This factor, which seems to be present at least until the stage of micronuclear disintegration, is able to induce repeated micronuclear division as long as it remains active. The factor can act on a micronucleus which has not passed through a meiotic prophase. Moreover, the results suggest the existence of a second factor which is provided by the macronucleus after the first meiotic division that inhibits further micronuclear division.     

A Transmissible developmental block in Tetrahymena thermophila

When the amicronucleate mutant BI3840 of Tetrahymena thermophila is mated with normal micronucleate cells, it receives a pronucleus from its partner but there is no further nuclear development and the conjugants separate, retaining their original macronuclei. Both of these sexually mature exconjugants and any cells with which they are mated show an unconditional block in macronuclear development. Although prezygotic nuclear divisions, nuclear transfer and post-zygotic nuclear divisions appeared normal upon cytological analysis of Giemsa-stained conjugants, macronuclear development was invariably aborted. Since the original macronucleus was resorbed, the cells were rendered amacronucleate and they died. When no macronuclear development was initiated, as in crosses with the aneuploid strain A* (III), the exconjugants were viable and retained their original macronuclei. This pattern was invariant with three different strains serving as the original micronuclear source, and in the case of one non-BI3840 exconjugant, persisted for over 200 cell generations. Exconjugants from a cross of one of the micronuclear donors with strain A* (III) did not show arrested development when crossed. It thus appears likely that there is conjugal transfer of non-nuclear information originating in BI3840 which is self-replicating and which causes an arrest in macronuclear development.     

Induction of reinitiation of meiosis in amphibian Bufo oocytes by injection of ciliate Paramecium extracts

Germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) of amphibian Bufo oocytes can be induced if Paramecium extracts were injected into them. The activity of meiosis-reinitiation-inducing factor (MRIF) appeared in premeiotic G1 cells, then the activity fluctuates according to the degrees of micronuclear chromatin condensation in meiosis. Proliferating micronucleate and amicronucleate cells also showed the same activity. MRIF differed from MPF (M phase promoting factor), because MRIF appeared not only in M phase cells but also in premeiotic interphase cells and its action on the induction of GVBD was inhibited by cycloheximide. Preliminary experiments showed that MRIF was a heat-labile soluble protein.     

Proliferation and differentiation of chick skeletal muscle cells cultured in a chemically defined medium

By using the technique of nuclear transplantation in Paramecium [1], amicronucleate and renucleate clones were prepared in P. caudatum. The major differences between amicronucleate and micronucleate cells in the vegetative stage are elongation of cell cycle time, decrease in food vacuole formation, and shortening of the buccal cavity in the amicronucleate cells. These characteristics of amicronucleate cells are closely related with the absence of micronucleus, because all of these abnormalities were cured when the micronucleus was transplanted again into the amicronucleate. It is evident that the germinal micronucleus plays an important role not only during the sexual cycle but also in vegetative growth. Elongation of the cell cycle time in amicronucleates was also observed in P. bursaria and P. jenningsi.     

Analysis of germinal aging in Paramecium caudatum by micronuclear transplantation

The role of the micronucleus in the age-dependent increase in mortality after conjugation in Paramecium has been investigated using micronuclear transplantation. The clone of Paramecium caudatum used for this study had a lifespan of about 750 fissions. In this clone, the fission rate began to decrease about 450 fissions after conjugation. Mortality after selfing conjugation also began to appear at about 450 fissions and gradually increased with clonal age. Cells at about 650 fissions showed 10–70% survival after selfing conjugation but when their micronuclei were transplanted into amicronucleate cells of about 450 fissions, the progeny survival increased to 70–90%. When micronuclei from cells 700–750 fissions old were transplanted into amicronucleate cells of 100–150 fissions, however, increase in progeny survival was very rare. The results indicate that micronuclei in cells up to the age of 650 fissions can function normally if the cytoplasmic environment is young.