title: A comparison of the polycation receptors of Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila.
abstract: Chemorepellents are compounds that cause ciliated protozoans to reorient their swimming direction. A number of chemorepellents have been studied in the ciliated protozoans, Paramecium and Tetrahymena. Chemorepellents, such as polycations, cause the organism to exhibit "avoidance behavior," a swimming behavior characterized by jerky movements and other deviations from normal forward swimming, which result from ciliary reversal. One well-characterized chemorepellent pathway in Tetrahymena is that of the proposed polycation receptor that is activated by lysozyme and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP). In this study, we compare the response of Paramecium to the chemorepellents lysozyme, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and PACAP to the previously studied polycation response in Tetrahymena. Our results indicate that lysozyme, VIP, and PACAP are all chemorepellents in Paramecium, just as they are in Tetrahymena. However, the signaling pathways involved appear to be different. While previous pharmacological characterization indicates that G-proteins are involved in polycation signaling in Tetrahymena, we present evidence that similar reception in Paramecium involves activation of a tyrosine kinase pathway in order for lysozyme avoidance to occur. Polycation responses of both organisms are inhibited by neomycin sulfate. While PACAP is the most effective of the three chemorepellents in Tetrahymena, lysozyme is the most effective chemorepellent in Paramecium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Mathematics, Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH 45314, USA.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Robinette
authors.forename: Kevin T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Gulley
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cassity
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Amber J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Cristine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rozelle
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: Heather G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kuruvilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D009113:Muramidase / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016805:Paramecium tetraurelia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000071228:Polyelectrolytes; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016808:Tetrahymena thermophila / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D009113:Muramidase; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D011073:Polyamines; D000071228:Polyelectrolytes; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide