Studies On The Microtubular Organelle Of A Soil Ciliate Territricha Stramenticola

Soil protozoan is a special kind of fauna lived in soil environment.It is the third largest taxon in soil biota and an important biological regulator organisms and biochemical activities because of its considerable biodiversity and enormous biomass. Different trophic types such as photosynthetic autroph,saprotroph and predacity existed protozoan.Since predation not only controls the bacteria community but also stimulate nutrient transformation and carbon cycling,the study on protozoan community structure and ecological function is one of the bases for elucidating the soil fertility.The article reviewed the research gresses in protozoan community, trophic types,ecological function and application in soil.Because of the special soil condition,soil ciliate usually has a small cell size.However,we found a large soil ciliate during our sampling process and named it Territricha stramenticola according to its morphological characters.As other sibling species lived in fresh water,the cellular structure of soil ciliate would experience a process of differentiation and dedifferentiation during its life cycle,and its ciliary organ has some characters adapt to the special environment.There would be definitive relationships between the soil environment and the motor pattern of ciliate.The study on microtubular organelle of soil ciliate would help us to know better about the function of cellular organ and its evolve process.In this article,we use Territricha stramenticola as materials to detect its cilia-structure differentiation in the term of morphology,morphogenesis and cyst through the method of Flutax direct fluorescent-labeled and anti-αtubulin antibody.We found that the cortical microtubule skeleton is different in the different lifecycle.This revealed the law of its morphogenesis,tubulin differentiation and positioning.And we also use SDS-PAGE to analyze its protein components.The results are as follows: 1.Morphology of microtubular organelle in Territricha stramenticolaThe microtubular organelles in the cortical ciliature of the soil ciliate T. stramenticola were visualized by direct fluorescent labeling of FLUTAX and immuno-fluorecent labeling using anti-αtubulin antibody.The distribution pattern of base-associated microtubules were found to be in accordance with that of adoral zone membranelles(AZM),undulating membranes(UM),frontal-ventral-transverse cirri (FVTC),left-right marginal cirri(L-RMC) and dorsal kineties(DK).The cytoskeleton of AZM and UM was composed of membranelle brackets,membranelle-associated microtubules and the skeleton of UM.The anterior longitudinal microtubules(ALM), posterior longitudinal microtubules(PLM) and transverse microtubules(TM) were located in the basal part of FVTC.ALM,PLM,TM and sprouted microtubules(SM) were situated in the basal parts of LMC and RMC.ALM and PLM were visualized in the basal part of DK.The base of transverse cirri(TC) contained comparatively developed bundles of TM.The occurence of SM and the location of TM in the basal parts of L-RMC might be of species specificity.The microtubules and a layer of microtubule bellow cell's cortex could be used to combine the microtubular cytoskeleton network with cell's various ciliatures used for movement.The presence of these microtubular structures might be one of the cell's adaptive characteristics to soil environment.2.Morphogenesis of microtubular organelle in T.stramenticola during period of vegetative division and defferetiationThe microtubules of old AZM were found to be renewed progressively during vegetative division.The microtubular organelles of old ciliatures might play an important role in the location and substance supply of new structures when these structures begain to occur and develope.During the period of defferetiation and maturation of the new structures,the old ciliatures seemed to play a similar role when they gradually desintegrated and disappeared.3.Analysis on the protein components of T.stramenticolaThe protein components of T.stramenticola were investigated using method of SDS-PAGE.The results are as follows:the cytoskeleton protein components of the soil ciliate T.stramenticola were expressed between 40kDa to 66kDa.In comparison with the relative water-lived species,the arthor conclude that tubulin is conservative in ciliate which lived in fresh water and soil.