Some New Phenomena in Macronuclear Development of Euplotes patella Exconjugants

Two new phenomena were observed during macronuclear development in E. patella. During the formation of giant chromosomes, the number of chromosomes decreased while individual chromosomes gradually became longer and thicker. Immediately before macronuclear elongation, ring-like anlagen appeared, which did not contain chromatin at their centers. The course of macronuclear development in Euplotes is reconsidered in light of these findings.     

Ciliate Protozoa in the Rumen of Sassaby Antelope, Damaliscus lunatus lunatus, Including the Description of a New Species and Form

ABSTRACT. Composition of rumen ciliate fauna in five Zambian, sassaby antelopes was determined. Six genera, 18 species, and four forms were identified. One new species and form, belonging to the subfamily Diplodiniinae, were found, then labeled Ostracodinium damaliscus n. sp. and Diplodinium bubalidis f. aspinosum n. f., respectively. Only ophryoscolecid species were present while isotrichids were absent. Twelve of 18 total species are commmonly found in African antelopes. Three of those 12 species, Entodinium fyferi, Enoploplastron garstangi and Opisthotrichum janus , are only found in African antelopes. Percentage composition was low in the genera ml of rumen fluid, and the average number of ciliate species per host was 17.2.     

INDUCTION OF CELLULAR PROCESSES CONTAINING COLLAGENASE AND RETINOID BY INTEGRIN-BINDING TO INTERSTITIAL COLLAGEN IN HEPATIC STELLATE CELL CULTURE

Cultered hepatic stellate cells were induced to elongate long, multipolar cellular processes by interstitial collagen gel used as a substratum, as compared to flattened or round cell shapes on polystyrene surface or on Matrigel containing the basement membrane components, respectively. The process induction was inhibited by several reagents as follows: (1) anti-integrin α2 antibody; (2) an oligopeptide, DGEA, an integrin-binding sequence in type I collagen molecule; (3) wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation was enhanced throughout cells including cellular processes by culturing on type I collagen gel. Dual fluorescence staining showed that the core of the processes contained microtubules, whereas the periphery of the processes comprised fibrillar actin. Thus, the process extension was found to depend on integrin-binding to type I collagen fibres, followed by signal transduction and cytoskeleton assembly. The cellular processes included interstitial collagenase and vitamin A-containing lipid droplets. The lipid droplets and vitamin A-autofluorescence were increased by retinyl acetate addition to the culture medium, suggesting an important role of processes in hepatic stellate cell function.     

Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Adoral Ciliary Zone of Cycloposthium Bundle (Ciliophora,Entodiniomorphida)1

The adoral ciliary zone of Cycloposthium spp., inhabiting the large intestine of the horse, was studied by scanning electron microscopy. It could be divided into four parts: outer, inner, left, and right zones. The outer zone, extending on the anterior periphery of the apical cone of the body, had 20 tuft-like syncilia arranged radially around the longitudinal axis. Each ciliary tuft consisted of about 170 cilia, and in cross section it had a rectangular shape. The cilia of the inner zone, situated at the top of the apical cone, were aggregated irregularly to form shorter bundles than the tufts of the outer zone. The innermost cilia of this zone were shorter than the outermost. There was a distinct non-ciliated border between the outer and inner zones. A horseshoe-like operculum having no cilia was present at the center of the adoral ciliary zone, and the opening of the vestibulum was situated as a cleft crossing from the center to the right periphery of this zone. No cilia extended onto the vestibular wall. The left ciliary zone was situated beneath the outer zone and consisted of five short rows of barren kinetosomes of which only the central row possessed very short cilia. The right ciliary zone, consisting of a few rows of cilia situated at the bottom of the inner adoral lip, was also easily distinguished from the other ciliary zones. This zone was interpreted as an extension of the outer adoral zone passing along the right side of the apical cone. These ciliary zones were considered to be highly differentiated and useful for both movement of and ingestion of food.     

Ciliate Protozoa in the Rumen of Kafue Lechwe, Kobus leche kafuensis, in Zambia, with the Description of Four New Species

ABSTRACT The composition of the rumen ciliate fauna in 76 Kafue lechwe inhabiting a limited area in Zambia was surveyed and five genera containing 24 species with 16 formae belonging to the family Ophryoscolecidae were identified. Four new species belonging to Diplodiniinae were recognized and described as Diplodinium lochinvarense n. sp., Diplodinium leche n. sp., Diplodinium zambiense n. sp., and Metadinium ossiculi n. sp. In addition, Ostracodinium gracile form fissilaminatum Dogiel, 1932 was found for the second time and described as Metadinium fissilaminatum n. comb. The species composition was fairly unusual. Seven of the species have been found only in African wild antelopes and these species were found more frequently than cosmopolitan species. There was no evidence of isotrichid species. The average density of ciliates per 1 ml of the rumen fluid was 25.7 times 10⁴, and the number of ciliate species per head of host was 10.8.     

THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX REVERSIBLY REGULATES MORPHOLOGY,PROLIFERATION AND COLLAGEN METABOLISM OF PERISINUSOIDAL STELLATE CELLS (VITAMIN A-STORING CELLS)

The three-dimensional structure of the extracellular substratum was found to regulate reversibly the morphology, proliferation and collagen synthesis of perisinusoidal stellate cells (lipocytes, i.e. fat-storing ‘Ito’ cells). On non-coated polystyrene and type I collagen-coated culture dishes, the cells spread well and extended their cellular processes. On the surface of type I collagen gels, the cells gathered and formed a mesh-like structure. However, in type I collagen gel where the cells were surrounded by type I collagen three-dimensionally, the cells extended their fine cellular processes and resembled the star-shaped stellate cells seenin vivo. The cell proliferation was more prominent in culture dishes coated with type I collagen or in polystyrene culture dishes than on or in type I collagen gels. The collagen synthesis was affected in the same manner. These data indicate that the nature and the three-dimensional structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) can regulate morphology, proliferation and functions of the perisinusoidal stellate cells. In order to examine the reversibility of these regulations, we liberated cultured cells with trypsin or with purified bacterial collagenase and re-seeded them onto or into each substratum. The cells changed their shape, rate of proliferation and collagen synthesis according to each new substratum. These results indicate that the three-dimensional structure of ECM reversibly regulates the morphology, proliferation rate and functions of the perisinusoidal stellate cells.     

CHANGES IN THE MELANOPHOROTROPIC FUNCTION OF THE PITUITARY GLAND ACCOMPANYING BLINDNESS IN XENOPUS LAEVIS DAUDIN

A number of cases of blindness appeared among a group of cultured Xenopus laevis. The blind toads lacked eyeballs and optic nerves and were consistently dark in color. Similar anatomical changes in the head and pigmentation were produced experimentally by removing the eyeballs of tadpoles or young adult toads. The dark pigmentation of blind Xenopus: was shown to be due to the continuous release of MSH from the pars intermedia of the pituitary, since hypophysectomy led to the complete blanching of the dermal and epidermal melanophores. MSH activity in the pars intermedia of blind toads was extremely high in comparison with that of normal animals. No special difference with respect to the general growth and behaviour was found between normal and blind Xenopus, which suggests that the pituitary functions other than that of the pars intermedia are not affected by the state of the optic nerves. These observations suggest that the retrogressive degeneration of the optic nerves exerts a profound effect on the secretory activity of the pars intermedia via the hypothalamic controlling center.