The Ultrastructure Of Territricha Stramenticola And The Microtubulin Localization By Immuno-electron Microscopy

Soil protozoa is a small fauna lived in soil environment. Because of the special soil condition, soil ciliate usually has a small cell size. A large soil ciliate is very rare. At present the scientists in many fields are focus on ciliate lived in water. With the development of life scientists and experimental techniques the studies have focused on the fields of molecular and ultrastructure about the cell modality, morphogenesis and physiological functions. But the results coming from soil ciliate remains in the ecology. The information from one specific soil ciliate is still rare. The studies investigate systematically the cortical and cyst morphology and morphogenesis of soil ciliate Territricha stramenticola. Some new special characteristics of soil ciliate is revealed by using scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and differential interference contrast microscopy. Besides, the ultrastructure and microtubulin localization of Territricha stramenticola are detemined by using transmission electron microscopy(TEM), as well as immuno-electron Microscopy. The study on microtubular organelle of soil ciliate would make us know better about the function and structure of cellular organ and its adaptive change to the interaction between the ciliate and the soil environment. The results are as follows:1 The morphology and morphogenesis of Territricha stramenticola and the structure of cystThe ultrastructure of the hypotrichous ciliate Territricha stramenticola is observed by using scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the structural mode of the frontal cirri of Territricha stramenticola was similar to that of Oxytrichids. The midventral cirrus line, consisting of 8 zigzag-distributed ventural cirri, was located in the middle of the ventral surface. During the morphogenesis of ciliature, the old cilia experienced the process of gradual degeneration when the new structure began to occure and develope. A study of resting cysts in Territricha stramenticola has been made by using differential interference contrast microscopy. It is revealed that the cyst wall of Territricha stramenticola is composed of three layers named from outside to inside: ectocyst(EC), mesocyst(ME) and Endocyst(EN). The EC being composed of transparent fibrous structure is wrinkled. But the EN is smooth and the ME is thick and transparent. The results indicate that the old cilia plays an important part not only in the occurrence of the ciliature primordia, but also in the structural development of new cilia. There are a lot of spine-like structures at the terminal part of frontal surface region where no cilium is present. At the remaining non-ciliated surface region of Territricha stramenticola, there distributed a large number of unevenly arranged shallow pits. These morphological characteristics might be the adaptive change to the interaction between the ciliate and the soil environment. The formation of the resting cells is also a result to adapt to the soil environment.2 The ultrastructure of the cortical cytoskeleton and cytoplasm and the localization of microtublin in the ciliaturesThe ultrastructure of Territricha stramenticola and the microtubulin localization are revealed by using transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and immuno-electron Microscopy. By using TEM, it is found that the epi-plasmic layer below the pellicle is thickened obviously with microtubule or fibroid structure. This structural charecteristic might bear relationship with the cell's supporting to movement or forming cytoskeleton. Mitochondrion and food vacuoles are abundant in the cytoplasm. These structures might have some relationships with the energy storage in special soil environment or the energy utilization when cells form cysts or in the starving situation. The results ofα-tubulin immunogold labeling show that the gold particles distribute in the whole ciliatures stably, including beneath the epiplasm evenly, and basal plate. It also owns a mass of distribution which circumambienced around the basal bodies, and locats in the area of coterminous basal bodies. In addtion,γ-tubulin labeling shows that the gold particles are located rarely in the basal bodies. However theγ-tubulin distribute mainly at the kinetosomes, the remote associated microtubules. It is concluded thatα-tubulin andγ-tubulin could play an important role in the replication and assembly of basal bodies.