title: Developmental progression of Tetrahymena through the cell cycle and conjugation.
abstract: The ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila can be said to undergo a variety of developmental programs. During vegetative growth, cells coordinate a variety of cell-cycle operations including macronuclear DNA synthesis and a-mitotic fission, micronuclear DNA synthesis and mitosis, cytokinesis and an elaborate program of cortical morphogenesis that replicates the cortical organelles. When starved, cells undergo oral replacement, transformation into fast-swimming dispersal forms or, when encountering cells of a complementary mating type, conjugation. Conjugation involves a 12 hour program of meiosis, mitosis, nuclear exchange and karyogamy, and two postzygotic divisions of the fertilization nucleus. This chapter reviews experimental data exploring the developmental dependencies associated with both vegetative and conjugal development.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugai
mesh_terms: D002453:Cell Cycle; D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints; D048750:Cell Nucleus Division; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D016213:Cyclins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004261:DNA Replication; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D048648:Macronucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D048631:Micronucleus, Germline / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012100:Reproduction, Asexual; D016808:Tetrahymena thermophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016213:Cyclins; D016054:DNA, Protozoan