Ultrastructure and cell size-dependent regulation of the adoral zone of membranelles in the heterotrich ciliateStentor coeruleus

✍ Scribed by Jacobson, Patrice M. ;Lynn, Denis H.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 744 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0192-253X
• DOI: 10.1002/dvg.1020130305

✦ Synopsis

The number and length of oral rnembranelles were determined for both large and small Stentor from well-fed, growing cultures and nutrient-deprived cultures, respectively. Small cells possess both significantly fewer and shorter membranelles than do large cells. For both large and small cells, each mernbranelle is composed of three rows of basal bodies. The membranelles closest to the gullet have o third row that is only slightly shorter than the other two. The third row becomes rapidly shorter as rnembranelles become increasingly distant from the gullet. A short distance from the gullet, and for the remainder of the band, the third row is composed of only one to four basal bodies. The first two rows consist of approximately 35 basal bodies each in large cells and approximately 26 basal bodies each in small cells.

This indicates that Stentor regulates the number of basal bodies per row, but not the number of rows, in response to changes in cell size.