Endosymbiosis in <i>Paramecium bursaria</i>

DOI Web Site Web Site 45 References

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • ミドリゾウリムシにおける細胞内共生研究の現状と課題
  • ミドリゾウリムシ ニ オケル サイボウ ナイ キョウセイ ケンキュウ ノ ゲンジョウ ト カダイ

Search this article

Abstract

<p>Paramecium bursaria is a species of ciliated protozoa which bears zoochlorellae (endosymbiotic unicellular green algae). Zoochlorellae can be artificially removed from the host cell (bleaching). Isolated zoochlorellae are able to be re-introduced to aposymbiotic P. bursaria cells (re-symbiosis). Because bleaching and re-symbiosis can easily be performed, P. bursaria is a useful model organism for the study of endosymbiosis. P. bursaria can be infected not only with zoochlorellae from the original host but also with those from different P. bursaria strains or those from different host species. Furthermore, free-living algae, yeasts and bacteria are occasionally accepted by P. bursaria. As a common characteristics of zoochlorellae, they release maltose under low-pH conditions. Zoochlorella is uniformly and closely enveloped by the peri-algal vacuole (PV) membrane, which is supposed to be indispensable for sustaining the acidic condition of the peri-algal space. PV membranes are frequently observed to be closely associated and sometimes fused with the outer membrane of host’s mitochondria, suggesting that host’s mitochondria are also playing an important role in the endosymbiotic event. Differential transcriptomic analysis between symbiotic and aposymbiotic cells of P. bursaria has been carried out, and some up- or down-regulated genes were identified.</p>

Journal

References(45)*help

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top