Abstract
ALTHOUGH the ciliate protozoon, Tetrahymena pyriformis was first cultivated in sterile broth more than 50 years ago1, and in chemically defined media more than 20 years ago2 its uptake of nutrients in solution is poorly understood. For example, the part played by the food vacuoles is still unknown. The vacuoles seem to be essential for rapid cell multiplication in some media3–5, but calculations show that the volume of the food vacuoles formed per unit time cannot account for the observed uptake of either acetate6 or nucleosides (present report). Previously, it was proposed that the mucous layer might be able to concentrate nutrients and thus increase their uptake7. I here present an alternative hypothesis.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lwoff, A., C. r. hebd. Seanc. Acad. Sci. Paris, D 176, 928–930 (1923).
Kidder, G. W., and Dewey, V. C., Archs Biochem. Biophys., 66, 486–492 (1957).
Rasmussen, L., and Kludt, T. A., Expl Cell Res., 59, 457–463 (1970).
Rasmussen, L., and Modeweg-Hansen, L., J. Cell Sci., 12, 275–286 (1973).
Rasmussen, L., Expl Cell Res., 82, 192–196 (1973).
Seaman, G. R., in Biochemistry and Physiology of Protozoa, 2 (edit. by Hutner, S. H., and Lwoff, A.), 91–158 (Academic, New York, 1955).
Nilsson, J. R., C. r. Trav. Lab. Carlsberg, 39, 83–110 (1972).
Kidder, G. W., and Dewey, V. C., in Biochemistry and Physiology of Protozoa, 1 (edit. by Lwoff, A.), 323–400 (Academic, New York, 1951).
Chapman-Andresen, C., and Nilsson, J. R., C. r. Trav. Lab. Carlsberg, 36, 405–432 (1968).
Zeuthen, E., and Rasmussen, L., in Research in Protozoology, 4, (edit. by Chen, T. T.), 31 (Pergamon, Oxford, 1972).
Orias, E., and Pollock, N. A., Progress in Protozoology, Abstracts of fourth Int. Congr. on Protozoology, 468 (University of Clermont, Clermont, 1973).
Nilsson, J. R., Ricketts, T. R., and Zeuthen, E., Expl Cell Res., 79, 456–460 (1973).
Hoffmann, E. K., Rasmussen, L., and Zeuthen, E., J. Cell Sci. (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RASMUSSEN, L. Food vacuole membrane in nutrient uptake by Tetrahymena. Nature 250, 157–158 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250157a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250157a0
This article is cited by
-
Nutrient uptake in Tetrahymena pyriformis
Carlsberg Research Communications (1976)
-
Carbohydrate binding proteins involved in phagocytosis by Acanthamoeba
Nature (1975)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
