Osmoregulation in Paramecium: the locus of fluid segregation in the contractile vacuole complex

A Functional Aqp1 Gene Product Localizes on The Contractile Vacuole Complex in Paramecium multimicronucleatum

In a ciliate Paramecium, the presence of water channels on the membrane of contractile vacuole has long been predicted by both morphological and physiological data, however, to date either the biochemical or the molecular biological data have not been provided. In the present study, to examine the presence of aquaporin in Paramecium, we carried out RT-PCR with degenerated primers designed based on the ParameciumDB, and an aquaporin cDNA (aquaporin 1, aqp1) with a full-length ORF encoding 251 amino acids was obtained from Paramecium multimicronucleatum by using RACE. The deduced amino acid sequence of AQP1 had NPA-NPG motifs, and the prediction of protein secondary structure by CNR5000 and hydropathy plot showed the presence of six putative transmembrane domains and five connecting loops. Phylogenetic analysis results showed that the amino acid sequence of AQP1 was close to that of the Super-aquaporin group. The AQP1-GFP fusion protein clearly demonstrated the subcellular localization of AQP1 on the contractile vacuole complex, except for the decorated spongiome membrane. The functional analyses of aqp1 were done by RNA interference-based gene silencing, using an established feeding method. The aqp1 was found to be crucial for the total fluid output of the cell, the function of contractile vacuole membranes.

A set of SNARE proteins in the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium regulates cellular calcium tolerance and also contributes to organelle biogenesis

The contractile vacuole complex (CVC) of freshwater protists serves the extrusion of water and ions, including Ca(2+). No vesicle trafficking based on SNAREs has been detected so far in any CVC. SNAREs (soluble NSF [N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor] attachment protein receptors) are required for membrane-to-membrane interaction, i.e. docking and fusion also in Paramecium. We have identified three v-/R- and three t/Q-SNAREs selectively in the CVC. Posttranscriptional silencing of Syb2, Syb6 or Syx2 slows down the pumping cycle; silencing of the latter two also causes vacuole swelling. Increase in extracellular Ca(2+) after Syb2, Syb6 or Syx2 silencing causes further swelling of the contractile vacuole and deceleration of its pulsation. Silencing of Syx14 or Syx15 entails lethality in the Ca(2+) stress test. Thus, the effects of silencing strictly depend on the type of the silenced SNARE and on the concentration of Ca(2+) in the medium. This shows the importance of organelle-resident SNARE functions (which may encompass the vesicular delivery of other organelle-resident proteins) for Ca(2+) tolerance. A similar principle may be applicable also to the CVC in widely different unicellular organisms. In addition, in Paramecium, silencing particularly of Syx6 causes aberrant positioning of the CVC during de novo biogenesis before cytokinesis.

Chapter 6: cubic membranes the missing dimension of cell membrane organization

Biological membranes are among the most fascinating assemblies of biomolecules: a bilayer less than 10 nm thick, composed of rather small lipid molecules that are held together simply by noncovalent forces, defines the cell and discriminates between “inside” and “outside”, survival, and death. Intracellular compartmentalization—governed by biomembranes as well—is a characteristic feature of eukaryotic cells, which allows them to fulfill multiple and highly specialized anabolic and catabolic functions in strictly controlled environments. Although cellular membranes are generally visualized as flat sheets or closely folded isolated objects, multiple observations also demonstrate that membranes may fold into “unusual”, highly organized structures with 2D or 3D periodicity. The obvious correlation of highly convoluted membrane organizations with pathological cellular states, for example, as a consequence of viral infection, deserves close consideration. However, knowledge about formation and function of these highly organized 3D periodic membrane structures is scarce, primarily due to the lack of appropriate techniques for their analysis in vivo. Currently, the only direct way to characterize cellular membrane architecture is by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, deciphering the spatial architecture solely based on two-dimensionally projected TEM images is a challenging task and prone to artifacts. In this review, we will provide an update on the current progress in identifying and analyzing 3D membrane architectures in biological systems, with a special focus on membranes with cubic symmetry, and their potential role in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Proteomics and lipidomics approaches in defined experimental cell systems may prove instrumental to understand formation and function of 3D membrane morphologies.

Electrical properties and fusion dynamics ofin vitromembrane vesicles derived from separate parts of the contractile vacuole complex ofParamecium multimicronucleatum

The contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium multimicronucleatumtransforms into membrane-bound vesicles on excision from the cell. The I–V relationship was linear in a voltage range of–80 to +80 mV in all vesicles, despite being derived from different parts of the contractile vacuole complex. No voltage-gated unit currents were observed in membrane patches from the vesicles. Vesicles derived from the radial arm showed a membrane potential of >10 mV, positive with reference to the cytosol, while those derived from the contractile vacuole showed a residual (<5 mV) membrane potential. The electrogenic V-ATPases in the decorated spongiome are responsible for the positive potential, and Cl– leakage channels are responsible for the residual potential. The specific resistance of the vesicle membrane (∼6 kΩcm2) increased, while the membrane potential shifted in a negative direction when the vesicle rounded. An increase in the membrane tension (to∼5×10–3 N m–1) is assumed to reduce the Cl– leakage conductance. It is concluded that neither voltage- nor mechano-sensitive ion channels are involved in the control of the fluid segregation and membrane dynamics that govern fluid discharge cycles in the contractile vacuole complex.

The membrane vesicles shrank when the external osmolarity was increased,and swelled when the osmolarity was decreased, implying that the contractile vacuole complex membrane is water permeable. The water permeability of the membrane was 4–20×10–7 μm s–1Pa–1. The vesicles containing radial arm membrane swelled after initially shrinking when exposed to higher external osmolarity, implying that the V-ATPases energize osmolyte transport mechanisms that remain functional in the vesicle membrane. The vesicles showed an abrupt (<30 ms),slight, slackening after rounding to the maximum extent. Similar slackening was also observed in the contractile vacuoles in situ before the opening of the contractile vacuole pore. A slight membrane slackening seems to be an indispensable requirement for the contractile vacuole membrane to fuse with the plasma membrane at the pore. The contractile vacuole complex-derived membrane vesicle is a useful tool for understanding not only the biological significance of the contractile vacuole complex but also the molecular mechanisms of V-ATPase activity.

Cell volume control in Paramecium: factors that activate the control mechanisms

A fresh water protozoan Paramecium multimicronucleatum adapted to a given solution was found to swell until the osmotic pressure difference between the cytosol and the solution balanced the cytosolic pressure. The cytosolic pressure was generated as the cell swelled osmotically. When either one or both of these pressures was somehow modified, cell volume would change until a new balance between these pressures was established. A hypothetical osmolyte transport mechanism(s) was presumably activated when the cytosolic pressure exceeded the threshold value of approximately 1.5 x 10(5) Pa as the cell swelled after its subjection to a decreased osmolarity. The cytosolic osmolarity thereby decreased and the volume of the swollen cell resumed its initial value. This corresponds to regulatory volume decrease (RVD). By contrast, another hypothetical osmolyte transport mechanism(s) was activated when the cell shrank after its subjection to an increased osmolarity. The cytosolic osmolarity thereby increased and volume of the shrunken cell resumed its initial value. This corresponds to regulatory volume increase (RVI). The osmolyte transport mechanism responsible for RVD might be activated again when the external osmolarity decreases further, and the cytosolic osmolarity thereby decreases to the next lower level. Similarly, another osmolyte transport mechanism responsible for RVI might be activated again when the external osmolarity increases further, and the cytosolic osmolarity thereby increases to the next higher level. Stepwise changes in the cytosolic osmolarity caused by a gradual change in the adaptation osmolarity found in P. multimicronucleatum is attributable to these osmolyte transport mechanisms. An abrupt change in the amount of fluid discharged from the contractile vacuole seen immediately after changing the external osmolarity reduces an abrupt change in cell volume and thereby protects the cell from the disruption of the plasma membrane by excessive stretch or dehydration during shrinkage.

Hypo-osmotic or Ca2+-rich external conditions trigger extra contractile vacuole complex generation in Paramecium multimicronucleatum

The freshwater ciliated protozoan, Paramecium multimicronucleatum, usually possesses two contractile vacuole complexes (CVCs). The number of CVCs in a single cell, however, may vary from 1 to 7. We found that the number of cells that have more than two CVCs increased after the cells were exposed to a hypo-osmotic or a high Ca2+ condition. It is assumed that the biological significance of this increase in the number of CVCs is to enhance the cell's ability to eliminate excess water or Ca2+ from the cytosol. An extra CVC was either generated de novo in the posterior region of the cell or, when in the anterior region, by binary fission of the anterior CVC. Generation of these extra CVCs was not inhibited by aphidicolin, a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis in the micronuclei of Paramecium, even though normal duplication of the CVC that accompanies normal cell division was completely inhibited by this inhibitor. These results suggest that generation of extra CVCs is controlled by a hypothetical regulatory mechanism that is activated either by a hypo-osmotic or by a Ca2+-rich condition and that differs from the regulatory mechanism that governs normal CVC duplication during cell division.

Relationship between the membrane potential of the contractile vacuole complex and its osmoregulatory activity inParamecium multimicronucleatum

The electric potential of the contractile vacuole (CV) of Paramecium multimicronucleatum was measured in situ using microelectrodes,one placed in the CV and the other (reference electrode) in the cytosol of a living cell. The CV potential in a mechanically compressed cell increased in a stepwise manner to a maximal value (approximately 80 mV) early in the fluid-filling phase. This stepwise change was caused by the consecutive reattachment to the CV of the radial arms, where the electrogenic sites are located. The current generated by a single arm was approximately 1.3×10-10 A. When cells adapted to a hypotonic solution were exposed to a hypertonic solution, the rate of fluid segregation, RCVC, in the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) diminished at the same time as immunological labelling for V-ATPase disappeared from the radial arms. When the cells were re-exposed to the previous hypotonic solution, the CV potential, which had presumably dropped to near zero after the cell's exposure to the hypertonic solution, gradually returned to its maximum level. This increase in the CV potential occurred in parallel with the recovery of immunological labelling for V-ATPase in the radial arm and the resumption of RCVC or fluid segregation. Concanamycin B, a potent V-ATPase inhibitor, brought about significant decreases in both the CV potential and RCVC. We confirm that (i) the electrogenic site of the radial arm is situated in the decorated spongiome, and (ii) the V-ATPase in the decorated spongiome is electrogenic and is necessary for fluid segregation in the CVC. The CV potential remained at a constant high level(approximately 80 mV), whereas RCVC varied between cells depending on the osmolarity of the adaptation solution. Moreover, the CV potential did not change even though RCVC increased when cells adapted to one osmolarity were exposed to a lower osmolarity, implying that RCVC is not directly correlated with the number of functional V-ATPase complexes present in the CVC.

Osmoregulation and contractile vacuoles of protozoa

Protozoa living in fresh water are subjected to a hypotonic environment. Water flows across their plasma membrane since their cytosol is always hypertonic to the environment. Many wall-less protozoa have an organelle, the contractile vacuole complex (CVC), that collects and expels excess water. Recent progress shows that most, if not all, CVCs are composed of a two-compartment system encircled by two differentiated membranes. One membrane, which is often divided into numerous vesicles and tubules, contains many proton-translocating V-ATPase enzymes that provide an electrochemical gradient of protons and which fuses only with the membrane of the second compartment. The membrane of the second compartment lacks V-ATPase holoenzymes, expands into a reservoir for fluid storage, and is capable of fusing with the plasma membrane. It is this second compartment that periodically undergoes rounding ("contraction"), setting the stage for fluid expulsion. Rounding is accompanied by increased membrane tension. We review the current state of knowledge on osmolarity, ion concentrations, membrane permeability, and electrophysiological parameters of cells and their contractile vacuoles, where these criteria are helpful to our understanding of the function of the CVC. Effects of environmental stresses on the CVC function are also summarized. Finally, other functions suggested for CVCs based on molecular and physiological studies are reviewed.

The ionic composition of the contractile vacuole fluid of Paramecium mirrors ion transport across the plasma membrane

In vivo K+, Na+, Ca2+, Cl- and H+ activities in the cytosol and the contractile vacuole fluid, the overall cytosolic osmolarity, the fluid segregation rate per contractile vacuole and the membrane potential of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium multimicronucleatum were determined in cells adapted to 24 or 124 mosm l(-1) solutions containing as the monovalent cation(s): 1) 2 mmol l(-1) K+; 2) 2 mmol l(-1) Na+; 3) 1 mmol l(-1) K+ plus 1 mmol l(-1) Na+; or 4) 2 mmol l(-1) choline. In cells adapted to a given external osmolarity i) the fluid segregation rate was the same if adapted to either K+ or Na+, twice as high when adapted to solutions containing both K+ and Na+, and reduced by 50% or more in solutions containing only choline, ii) the fluid of the contractile vacuole was always hypertonic to the cytosol while the sum of the ionic activities measured in the fluid of the contractile vacuole was the same in cells adapted to either K+ or Na+, at least 25% higher in cells adapted to solutions containing both K+ and Na+, and was reduced by 55% or more in solutions containing only choline, iii) the cytosolic osmolarity was the same in cells adapted to K+ alone, to Na+ alone or to both K+ and Na+, whereas it was significantly lower in cells adapted to choline. At a given external osmolarity, a positive relationship between the osmotic gradient across the membrane of the contractile vacuole complex and the fluid segregation rate was observed. We conclude that both the plasma membrane and the membrane of the contractile vacuole complex play roles in fluid segregation. The presence of external Na+ moderated K+ uptake and caused the Ca2+ activity in the contractile vacuole fluid to rise dramatically. Thus, Ca2+ can be eliminated through the contractile vacuole complex when Na+ is present externally. The membrane potential of the contractile vacuole complex remained essentially the same regardless of the external ionic conditions and the ionic composition of the fluid of the contractile vacuole. Notwithstanding the large number of V-ATPases in the membrane of the decorated spongiome, the fluid of the contractile vacuole was found to be only mildly acidic, pH 6.4.

The vacuolar-atpase of Paramecium multimicronucleatum: gene structure of the B subunit and the dynamics of the V-ATPase-rich osmoregulatory membranes

Previous studies have shown that the vacuolar-ATPase (V-ATPase) of the contractile vacuole complexes (CVCs) in Paramecium multimicronucleatum is necessary for fluid segregation and osmoregulation. In the current study, immunofluorescence showed that the development of a new CVC begins with the formation of a new pore around which the collecting canals form. The decorated membranes are then deposited around the newly formed collecting canals. Quick-freeze deep-etch techniques reveal that six 10-nm-wide V-ATPase V, sectors, tightly packed into a 20 x 30-nm rectangle, form two rows of these compacted sectors that helically wrap around the cytosolic side of decorated membrane tubules. During new CVC formation, packing of decorated tubules around mature CVCs was temporarily disrupted so that some of these decorated tubules became transformed into decorated vesicles. Freeze-fracturing of these decorated vesicles revealed a highly pitted E-face and a particulate P-face. The V-ATPase was purified for the first time in any ciliated protozoan and shown to contain, as in other cells, the V1 subunits A to E, and four 14-20 kDa polypeptides. The B subunit was cloned and found to be encoded by one gene containing four short introns. This subunit has 510 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 56.8 kDa, a value similar to B subunits of other organisms. Except for the N- and C-termini, it has a 75% sequence identity with other B subunits, suggesting that the B subunits in Paramecium, like other species, have been conserved and that the entire surface of this subunit may be important in interacting with other subunits.

How external osmolarity affects the activity of the contractile vacuole complex, the cytosolic osmolarity and the water permeability of the plasma membrane in Paramecium multimicronucleatum

The rate of fluid expulsion, R(CVC), from the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) of Paramecium multimicronucleatum was estimated from the volume of the contractile vacuoles (CVs) immediately before the start of fluid discharge and from the time elapsing between discharges. The R(CVC) increased when the cell was exposed to a strongly hypotonic solution and decreased in a weakly hypotonic solution. When the cell was exposed to an isotonic or a hypertonic solution, R(CVC) fell to zero. The time constant, tau, used to describe the change in R(CVC) in response to a change in external osmolarity shortened after a short-term exposure to a strongly hypotonic solution and lengthened after a short-term exposure to a less hypotonic solution. A remarkable lengthening of tau occurred after a short-term exposure to isotonic or hypertonic solution. Under natural conditions, mechanisms for controlling R(CVC) are effective in maintaining the cytosolic osmolarity hypertonic within a narrow concentration range despite changes in the external osmolarity, which is normally hypotonic to the cytosol. Cells exposed to an isotonic or hypertonic solution resumed CV activity when left in the solution for 12 h. The cytosolic osmolarity was found to increase and to remain hypertonic to the external solution. This will permit cells to continue to acquire water. The increase in the cytosolic osmolarity occurred in a stepwise fashion, rather than linearly, as the external osmolarity increased. That is, the cytosolic osmolarity first remained more-or-less constant at an increased level until the external osmolarity exceeded this level. Thereupon, the cytosolic osmolarity increased to a new higher level in 12 h, so that the cytosol again became hypertonic to the external solution and the cells resumed CV activity. These results imply that the cell needs to maintain water segregation activity even after it has been exposed to an isotonic or hypertonic environment. This supports the idea that the CVC might be involved not only in the elimination of excess cytosolic water but also in the excretion of some metabolic waste substances.

The contractile vacuole and its membrane dynamics

The contractile vacuole (CV) is an osmoregulatory organelle whose mechanisms of function are poorly understood. Immunological studies in the last decade have demonstrated abundant proton-translocating V-type ATPases (V-ATPases) in its membrane that could provide the energy, from proton electrochemical gradients, for moving ions into the CV to be followed by water. This review emphasizes recent work on the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) of Paramecium including (1) CV expulsion, (2) a role for V-ATPases in sequestering fluid, (3) identifying ions in the cytosol and in the CV, (4) in situ electrophysiological parameters of the CVC membrane, and (5) a better understanding of the membrane dynamics of this organelle.

A key function of non-planar membranes and their associated microtubular ribbons in contractile vacuole membrane dynamics is revealed by electrophysiologically controlled fixation of Paramecium

The contractile vacuole complex of the fresh water protozoan Paramecium multimicronucleatum exhibits periodic exocytotic activity. This keeps cytosolic osmolarity at a constant value. The contractile vacuole, the central exocytotic vesicle of the complex, becomes disconnected from its surrounding radial arms and rounds before its fluid content is expelled. We previously proposed a hypothesis that the rounding of the contractile vacuole corresponds to an increase in its membrane tension and that a periodic increase in membrane tension governs the exocytotic cycle. We also proposed a hypothesis that transformation of excess planar membrane of the contractile vacuole into 40 nm diameter tubules, that remain continuous with the contractile vacuole membrane, is a primary cause for the tension development in the planar membrane. In order to investigate tension development further, we have examined electron microscopically the contractile vacuole membrane at the rounding phase. To do this, we developed a computer-aided system to fix the cell precisely at the time that the contractile vacuole exhibited rounding. In this system a decrease in the electrical potential across the contractile vacuole membrane that accompanied the vacuole's rounding was monitored through a fine-tipped microelectrode inserted directly into the in vivo contractile vacuole. A decrease in membrane potential was used to generate an electric signal that activated an injector for injecting a fixative through a microcapillary against the cell at the precise time of rounding. Subsequent electron micrographs of the contractile vacuole membrane clearly demonstrated that numerous approximately 40 nm membrane-bound tubules formed in the vicinity of the vacuole's microtubule ribbons when the vacuole showed rounding. This finding suggested that membrane tubulation was the cause for topographical isolation of excess membrane from the planar membrane during the periodic rounding of the contractile vacuole. This together with stereo-pair images of the contractile vacuole complex membranes suggested that the microtubule ribbons were intimately involved in enhancing this membrane tubulation activity. Electron micrographs of the contractile vacuole complexes also showed that decorated tubules came to lie abnormally close to the contractile vacuole in these impaled cells. This suggested that the contractile vacuole was capable of utilizing the smooth spongiome membrane that lies around the ampullae and the collecting canals to increase its size.

Cloning and sequencing of a protein involved in phagosomal membrane fusion in Paramecium

An mAb was raised to the C5 phagosomal antigen in Paramecium multimicronucleatum. To determine its function, the cDNA and genomic DNA encoding C5 were cloned. This antigen consisted of 315 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 36,594, a value similar to that determined by SDS-PAGE. Sequence comparisons uncovered a low but significant homology with a Schizosaccharomyces pombe protein and the C-terminal half of the beta-fructofuranosidase protein of Zymomonas mobilis. Lacking an obvious transmembrane domain or a possible signal sequence at the N terminus, C5 was predicted to be a soluble protein, whereas immunofluorescence data showed that it was present on the membranes of vesicles and digestive vacuoles (DVs). In cells that were minimally permeabilized but with intact DVs, C5 was found to be located on the cytosolic surface of the DV membranes. Immunoblotting of proteins from the purified and KCl-washed DVs showed that C5 was tightly bound to the DV membranes. Cryoelectron microscopy also confirmed that C5 was on the cytosolic surface of the discoidal vesicles, acidosomes, and lysosomes, organelles known to fuse with the membranes of the cytopharynx, the DVs of stages I (DV-I) and II (DV-II), respectively. Although C5 was concentrated more on the mature than on the young DV membranes, the striking observation was that the cytopharyngeal membrane that is derived from the discoidal vesicles was almost devoid of C5. Approximately 80% of the C5 was lost from the discoidal vesicle-derived membrane after this membrane fused with the cytopharyngeal membrane. Microinjection of the mAb to C5 greatly inhibited the fusion of the discoidal vesicles with the cytopharyngeal membrane and thus the incorporation of the discoidal vesicle membranes into the DV membranes. Taken together, these results suggest that C5 is a membrane protein that is involved in binding and/or fusion of the discoidal vesicles with the cytopharyngeal membrane that leads to DV formation.

Hyperosmotic stress leads to reversible dissociation of the proton pump-bearing tubules from the contractile vacuole complex in Paramecium

To study the effect of hyperosmotic stress on the structure and function of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium multimicronucleatum, we employed two different monoclonal antibody markers: one to a decorated spongiome antigen (A4) and a second to an antigen found on all other membranes of the contractile vacuole complex (G4). A hyperosmotic condition was produced by adding sorbitol to the axenic culture medium which induced both dose- and time-dependent decreases in the vacuole's expulsion rate. The addition of 150 mM sorbitol to the medium (making a final osmolarity of 230 mOsmol) was sufficient to completely stop the expulsion of the contractile vacuole. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that the blocking of fluid output was accompanied by the disappearance of most fluorescence labeling from the decorated spongiome (the A4 antigen). Electron microscopy revealed that the disappearance of the labeling was accompanied by the disappearance of the decorated tubules from around the collecting canals. These tubules vesiculate. The other membranes of the contractile vacuole complex remained unaffected which was demonstrated by both electron microscopy and indirect immunolabeling using the mAb against the G4 antigen. These results show that the decorated spongiome is formed from a distinct membrane pool separate from that of the smooth spongiome, collecting canals and the contractile vacuole. Recovery of the decorated spongiome rapidly followed the return of the cell to an isotonic environment and was completed within 3 hours. Decorated tubule recovery paralleled the recovery of the function of the contractile vacuole. Recovery was also observed during continuous hyperosmotic treatment with the reappearance of the contractile vacuole activity starting at 3 hours and stabilizing at around 10 hours of incubation. Functional recovery under these conditions was accompanied by a reappearance of the decorated tubules but the total fluid output was always lower than for cells in an isotonic environment. Thus, cells were shown to be capable of adapting to high hyperosmotic conditions. We conclude that the dissociation and reassociation of the decorated spongiome is an important regulatory feature controlling the activity of the contractile vacuole complex and of intracellular osmoregulation in Paramecium.

The pegs on the decorated tubules of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium are proton pumps

Our previous study has shown that the decorated tubules (collectively known as the decorated spongiome) of the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) in Paramecium are the site of fluid segregation, as the binding of microinjected monoclonal antibody (mAb) DS-1 to the tubules reduced the CVC's fluid output. In this study, we showed by immunogold labeling on cryosections that the antigenic sites for mAb DS-1 were located on the 15 nm ‘pegs’ protruding from the cytosolic surface of the decorated tubules. In immunofluorescence studies, both polyclonal antibodies against the subunits of the V-ATPase of Dictyostelium discoideum and against the 57 kDa B-subunit of the V-ATPase of chromaffin granules gave identical labeling patterns to that produced by mAb DS-1. On cryosections, all three antigens were located most consistently near or on the pegs of the decorated tubules. These data support the notion that the pegs on the membrane of the decorated tubules represent the V1 complex of a proton pump. Concanamycin B, a potent inhibitor of V-ATPase activity and of acidification of lysosomes and endosomes, strongly and reversibly inhibited fluid output from the CVC but had minimal effect on the integrity of the decorated spongiome as observed by immunofluorescence. Such inhibition suggests that a V-ATPase is intimately involved in fluid segregation. Exposing Paramecium to 12 degrees C or 1 degrees C for 30 minutes resulted in the dissociation of the decorated tubules from the smooth spongiome that borders the collecting canals; thus the DS-1-reactive A4 antigen, the 75 kDa and 66 kDa antigens were all found dispersed in the cytosol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rapid bulk replacement of acceptor membrane by donor membrane during phagosome to phagoacidosome transformation in Paramecium

The extent to which a donor membrane will be retrieved, or if it is retrieved at all after it fuses with an acceptor membrane, is usually difficult to determine. We have studied the dynamics of membrane retrieval in the phagosome system of Paramecium multimicronucleatum using six monoclonal antibody markers. Our previous freeze-fracture and transmission electron microscopic studies have indicated that extensive changes take place in the membrane of the young phagosome as it progresses through its cycle. Using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy to determine the times of entry and exit of these individual antigens into the digestive vacuole system, we showed that two hydrophilic antigens, one located on the cytosolic and one on the lumenal side of the discoidal membrane (phagosome membrane precursor), were completely retrieved from the phagosome by tubulation within the first three minutes. At the same time that this membrane was retrieved, membrane from a second population of vesicles, the acidosomes, fused with the phagosome to produce the phagoacidosome. On the basis of immunogold localization on cryosections of a total of six antigens, the two specific for phagosome/discoidal vesicle membrane as well as four specific for the acidosome/phagoacidosome membrane, this replacement is total. We also showed that in the presence of the actin-active drug cytochalasin B, this replacement was essentially prevented. However, when vacuole acidification was neutralized by ammonium chloride, this replacement process continued unaffected after a lag. Consequently, acidification, per se, is not required to trigger the replacement of the phagosome membrane. We conclude, on the basis of these studies as well as our previous freeze-fracture studies that during phagoacidosome formation most of the acceptor membrane is retrieved and is replaced by the donor membrane. This shows that at least one cell type possesses the mechanisms needed to substantially replace the membrane of a phagosomal compartment when radical and rapid changes are needed to modulate the digestive and absorptive processes.

Monoclonal antibody to a bacterial endonuclear symbiont Holospora cross reacts with proteins of contractile vacuole radial canals of Paramecium species

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) IR-2-1 was raised against a 67-kDa protein purified from the macronucleus-specific bacterial symbiont Holospora obtusa of Paramecium caudatum. The mAb was found to react with two bands (31 and 67-kDa) on gels of H. obtusa. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy showed that these antigens were distributed inside the cells. However, unexpectedly, this mAb also cross reacted with the radial arms of the contractile vacuole in P. caudatum, P. tetraurelia, P. multimicronucleatum, P. jenningsi and P. bursaria as well as with their cytoplasm. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the antigens were located on the decorated spongiome of the radial arms. In immunoblots, mAb IR-2-1 reacted with a band of 67 kDa in all Paramecium species examined. However, no band appeared in the immunoblot of isolated macronuclei of H. obtusa-free P. caudatum and no label was seen in the nuclear matrix of the macronucleus of air-dried P. caudatum. These results suggest that the 67-kDa antigen found in H. obtusa was not imported from the host macronucleus and the same antigen in the host contractile vacuoles and cytoplasm were not derived from the symbiont. These results also showed that an epitope on the decorated spongiome of the Paramecium species is shared by its bacterial symbiont. In contrast to the decorated tubule-specific mAb, DS-1, the antigens for IR-2-1 appeared to be loosely membrane bound as they were lost in paraformaldehyde fixed and acetone permeabilized Paramecium.

Vacuolar H(+)-ATPase of Dictyostelium discoideum. A monoclonal antibody study

A Dictyostelium membrane fraction rich in vacuolar proton pumps, previously described by Nolta et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 266, 18,318-18,323, 1991), was used as the immunogen for production of monoclonal antibodies. We obtained antibodies that recognized polypeptides of 100 kDa and 68 kDa, corresponding to the two largest subunits of the vacuolar proton pump. In indirect immunofluorescence experiments, these two subunits were located on an interconnected collection of tubules and vacuoles. On frozen thin sections they were found principally on membranes of vacuoles and collections of small vesicles typically located just internal to the plasma membrane. These vesicles and vacuoles had electron-translucent lumens. No other structures in axenically grown Dictyostelium cells were labeled to a significant extent by these two antibodies. Using an affinity-purified antibody to calmodulin and a monospecific antibody to the B subunit of the chromaffin granule vacuolar ATPase, markers known to label the membranes of the contractile vacuole complex in Dictyostelium (Zhu and Clarke, J. Cell Biol. 118, 347–358, 1992; Heuser et al., J. Cell Biol. 121, 1311–1327, 1993), we showed that the 100 kDa and 68 kDa subunits had the same distribution as these two markers. Co-localization was seen in both interphase and mitotic cells. Thus, our results support the conclusion that vacuolar proton pumps are located principally on the membranes of the contractile vacuole complex in Dictyostelium. In addition, in indirect immunofluorescence experiments, these monoclonal antibodies provided improved images of the organization of the contractile vacuole system.