Tetrahymena: growth without phagocytosis.
We have succeeded in growing a Tetrahymena mutant without food vacuoles in growth media supplemented with vitamins and heavy-metal salts. This finding implies the existence of adequate alternative routes of entry for every required nutrient, and clearly indicates that the food vacuole in Tetrahymena is a dispensable cellular organelle. The growth of the mutant without food vacuoles makes available a valuable experimental tool.
D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D009154:Mutation; D009940:Organoids / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010587:Phagocytosis; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism