Studies of hormone evolution. Can non-hormone oligopeptides induce a functional imprinting?

Hormonal imprinting in the unicellular Tetrahymena: the proto-model of epigenetics

The unicellular ciliate, Tetrahymena has a complete hormonal system. It has receptors for receiving hormones, produces, stores and secretes hormones, similar to mammalian ones and has signal transduction pathways, for transmitting the information given by the hormones. The first encounter with a hormone provokes the hormonal imprinting under the effect of which the further encounters with the same hormone induces altered (usually enhanced) reaction (hormone binding, hormone synthesis, chemoattraction, movement, growth etc.). The effect of imprinting is durable, it can be observed also after 1000 generations, or after one year in non-dividing cells. Receptors of the nuclear envelope also can be imprinted. The plasma membrane receptors provoked by imprinting are similar to the receptors of mammals. Although steroid hormones are not present in Tetrahymena, the production of them and their receptors can be induced by imprinting. The hormonal imprinting is an epigenetic process and inhibition of DNA-methylation alters the imprinting. Hormonal imprinting in Tetrahymena was likely the first epigenetic phenomenon which was justified at cellular level. It is very useful for the unicells, as it helps to avoid dangerous molecules more easily or to find useful ones and by this contributes to the permanence of the population's life.

Effects of L-alanine and L-alanine peptides on the chemotaxis of tetrahymena: evolutionary conclusions

L-alanine and its peptides (L-Ala-2-6) do not attract or repulse Tetrahymena in a 10(-8) M concentration. In 10(-10) M concentration there is a consistent repellent effect. Twenty four hours after L-alanine or L-alanine-peptides' pretreatment (imprinting) the progeny generation of the cells react differently to the same materials. L-Alanine, L-alanine penta- and hexapeptide in both concentrations are chemoattractant, while L-alanine tetrapeptide is repellent. L-Alanine dipeptide is inert in 10(-10) M and repellent at 10(-8) M concentrations, while L-alanine tripeptide is strongly repellent at 10(-10) M and attractant at 10(-8) M concentrations. This means, that the first encounter (imprinting) with an exogenous amino acid or peptide is decisive to the later reaction of the protozoan cell. The chain length is important in the imprinting, however the reaction is not consistent. The experiments call the attention to the significance of imprinting in the receptor and hormone evolution.