Multiple Effects of Mutation on Expression of Alternative Cell Surface Protein Genes in Tetrahymena Thermophila

Genes at the SerH locus of the ciliated protist Tetrahymena thermophila specify the major (H) surface protein on cells grown at 20-36 degrees. Alternative proteins L, T, S and I are expressed under different conditions of temperature and culture media. Mutants unable to express SerH genes were examined for expression of these proteins, also called immobilization or i-antigens, at both H and non-H conditions. In all instances, one or more i-antigens were expressed in the absence of H, and, in most instances, expression of i-antigens under non-H conditions was also affected. Examples of the latter include both the continued expression of H-replacement antigens and the inability to express certain other i-antigens. Such multiple effects were observed in mutants with trans-acting (rseA, rseB, rseC, RseD) and cis-acting (H1-1 and H1-2) mutations, but not in mutants in which SerH is affected developmentally (B2092, B2101, B2103, B2107). These interactions suggest that the wild-type genes identified by mutation exert both positive and negative effects in the regulation of i-antigen gene expression.