Ingestion and inactivation of bacteriophages by Tetrahymena.
Abiotic factors are thought to be primarily responsible for the loss of bacteriophages from the environment, but ingestion of phages by heterotrophs may also play a role in their elimination. Tetrahymena thermophila has been shown to ingest and inactivate bacteriophage T4 in co-incubation experiments. In this study, other Tetrahymena species were co-incubated with T4 with similar results. In addition, T. thermophila was shown to inactivate phages T5 and lambda in co-incubations. Several approaches, including direct visualization by electron microscopy, demonstrated that ingestion is required for T4 inactivation. Mucocysts were shown to have no role in the ingestion of T4. When (35)S-labeled T4 were fed to T. thermophila in a pulse-chase experiment, the degradation of two putative capsid proteins, gp23(*) and hoc, was observed. In addition, a polypeptide with the apparent molecular mass of 52 kDa was synthesized. This suggests that Tetrahymena can use phages as a minor nutrient source in the absence of bacteria.
Hennemuth
Wendy
W
Department of Biology and Health Services, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, Pennsylvania 16444, USA.
Rhoads
Laura S
LS
Eichelberger
Henry
H
Watanabe
Miki
M
Van Bell
Kevin M
KM
Ke
Lei
L
Kim
Hyesuk
H
Nguyen
Giang
G
Jonas
Jeremy D
JD
Veith
Derek
D
Van Bell
Craig T
CT
D000818:Animals; D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000254:growth & development; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009154:Mutation; D013462:Sulfur Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D013604:T-Phages / Q000254:growth & development; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology*; D016808:Tetrahymena thermophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D038301:Virus Inactivation
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D013462:Sulfur Radioisotopes