Polymorphism and specificity of positioning of contractile vacuole pores in a ciliate, Chilodonella steini.

Analysis of contractile vacuole pore morphogenesis in Tetrahymena pyriformis by 180 degree rotation of ciliary meridians.

The contractile vacuole pores (CVPs) in Tetrahymena pyriformis are usually found to the left of ciliary meridians (CVP meridians). When the CVP meridians are experimentally rotated 180 degrees ('inverted'), the CVPs are now found to the right of the rotated CVP meridians. In other words, the CVP is almost invariably found on the same side with respect to the CVP meridian. Thus, the 2 sides of t...

Emergence of the Terrestrial Ciliate Colpoda cucullus from a Resting Cyst: Rupture of the Cyst Wall by Active Expansion of an Excystment Vacuole

The first sign of excysting Colpoda cucullus cells is the initiation of the pulsation of a contractile vacuole, which is then replaced by a non-pulsating vacuole (excystment vacuole) that continues to expand and finally ruptures the outermost cyst wall (ectocyst) due to inner pressure. A ciliate surrounded by flexible membranes (endocyst) thus emerges. The osmolarity of the excysting cells is e...

The Physiology of Contractile Vacuoles v. the Effects of Short-term Variations of Temperature on a Fresh-water Peritrich Ciliate

Structure of the micronuclear alpha-tubulin gene in the phyllopharyngean ciliate Chilodonella uncinata: implications for the evolution of chromosomal processing.

Ciliates are a group of microbial eukaryotes defined by the presence of dimorphic nuclei-each cell contains both a transcriptionally active macronucleus and a germline micronucleus. During the development of the macronucleus, germline chromosomes are rearranged through extensive fragmentation, removal of internally excised sequences (IESs) and DNA amplification. We have characterized three IESs...

Protozoan epibionts on Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) from Aras Reservoir, Northwest Iran

The Astacus leptodactylus specimens were collected from four sites of Aras reservoir, North-West of Iran and examined for the epibionts during 2009. Protozoan epibionts from ciliophora (one genus and seven species) and tracheophyta were isolated from the cuticular surface of different body parts of narrow-claw crayfish, A.leptodactylus. Seasonal prevalence of infestation was determined in 394 i...