The Molecular Biology of Ciliated Protozoa

1st Edition - December 22, 1986
Editor: Joseph Gall
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 5 4 1 8 - 5

The Molecular Biology of Ciliated Protozoa covers topics that are unique to ciliates, including major molecular progress, genetics, life history, and development of ciliates.… Read more

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The Molecular Biology of Ciliated Protozoa covers topics that are unique to ciliates, including major molecular progress, genetics, life history, and development of ciliates. Organized into 11 chapters, it focuses on the importance of ciliated protozoa as experimental organisms. The introductory chapter traces the ups and downs of ciliate biology, emphasizing the prominent role of the ciliates in early studies of cell structure, reproduction, and heredity. The book goes on to discuss ciliate genetics and conjugation, providing the basic biological framework for molecular studies of ciliate. Chapters 4 and 5 cover the nuclear DNA content, sequence, and arrangement of holotrichous and hypotrich ciliates. Chapters 6 to 9 examine the characterization of chromosomal telomeres, ribosomal gene amplification, and chromatin and histone structure using ciliated protozoa as experimental organisms. The final two chapters describe the mating mechanism of two ciliates, Blepharisma japonicum and Euplotes raikovi, and the function of surface antigens of Paramecium ciliate. The book is intended for students and investigators who want to learn more about the ciliated protozoa, particularly, in areas that cover fundamental features of eukaryotic biology.

Preface

1 Introduction

I. Ciliates as Experimental Organisms

II. Nuclear Dimorphism

III. The Compound Ciliate Cortex

IV. Behavioral Analysis and the Excitable Membrane

V. Clonal Aging and the Ciliate Life Cycle

VI. Mating Types and Cryptic Species

VII. Social Life and Cellular Interactions

VIII. Ciliate Origins and Ciliate Affinities

IX. Breeding Studies and Cytoplasmic Heredity

X. The New Experimental Ciliatology

XI. Germplasm Resources

XII. The Ciliate Literature

References

2 Genetic Organization of Tetrahymena

I. Introduction

II. Conjugation

III. Nullisomics and Genetic Maps

IV. Macronuclear Linkage

V. Mutagenesis

VI. Conclusions

References

3 Ciliate Conjugation

I. Conjugation Viewed as a Developmental Program

II. Nuclear Events of Conjugation

III. Prezygotic Nuclear Deployments

IV. Controlled Cell Fusion

V. Nuclear Fate Determination during Early Postzygotic Development

VI. Onset of Gene Expression in the Developing Macronucleus

VII. Evolutionary Aspects of Conjugation and Nuclear Dualism

References

4 The Nuclear DNAs of Holotrichous Ciliates

I. Introduction

II. Karyotype

III. DNA Content and Copy Number of DNA Sequences in Micro- and Macronuclei

IV. Mechanism of DNA Sequence Rearrangements

V. Function of Micronucleus-Specific DNA Sequences

VI. Conclusions

References

5 The Special Case of the Hypotrichs

I. Introduction

II. Organization of the Micronuclear and Macronuclear Genomes

III. Cytological and Cytochemical Studies of Macronuclear Development

IV. Organization and Reorganization of the Micronuclear Genome

V. Structure and Function of Micronuclear and Macronuclear Genomes during Vegetative Growth

VI. Summary

References

6 Telomeres

I. Introduction

II. Ciliate Systems for Studying Telomere Structure

III. Relationship of Ciliate Telomeres to Telomeres of Other Eukaryotes

IV. Replication of Telomeres in Ciliates and Other Lower Eukaryotes

V. Formation of New Telomeres in Macronuclear Development

VI. Unsolved Problems

References

7 Amplification of Ribosomal RNA Genes

I. Introduction

II. Macronuclear rDNA

III. Micronuclear rDNA

IV. Formation of the Extrachromosomal Palindromic rDNA

V. rDNA of Developing Macronuclei

VI. Genetic Analysis of rDNA Amplification

VII. rDNA Amplification in Other Ciliates

VIII. Summary and Remarks

References

8 Ribosomal RNA Gene Expression in Tetrahymena: Transcription and RNA Splicing

I. Introduction

II. Transcription and Processing of rDNA in Vivo

III. Transcription in Vitro

IV. RNA Splicing in Vitro

V. Prospectus

References

9 Ciliate Chromatin and Histones

I. Introduction

II. Chromatin

III. Histones

IV. Epilogue

References

10 Mating Pheromones

I. Fore ward

II. Introduction

III. Blepharisma japonicum

IV. Euplotes raikovi

V. Conclusions and Perspectives

References

11 Surface Antigens of Paramecium

I. Introduction

II. Background

III. Serotypes

IV. Serotype Switching

V. Cell Biology

VI. The Proteins, the mRNAs, and the Genes

VII. The Control of i-Antigen Expression

VIII. i-Antigen-Associated Systems

IX. Macronuclear Processing

X. Coding Problems 7

XI. i-Antigens in Tetrahymena

XII. Conclusions

References

Index