title: Effects of protease inhibitors on early events in the conjugation of paramecium caudatum.
abstract: The effects of 11 different protease inhibitors on mating reactivity and pair formation in the conjugation process of the ciliated protozoan Paramecium caudatum were investigated. Of the 11 inhibitors tested, six microbial and three synthetic inhibitors showed no effect on either pair formation or mating reactivity even at their highest concentrations. Soybean trypsin inhibitor and ovomucoid also showed no effect on pair formation even though they temporarily repressed mating reactivity. These results indicate that the process of pair formation during the conjugation process does not involve an extracellular proteolytic reaction.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D010247:Paramecium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011480:Protease Inhibitors