Skip to content
1887

Microbiology Society logo Microbiology

Volume 107, Issue 1

Growth- and Differentiation-related Enzyme Changes in Cytoplasmic Membranes of Free

Abstract

Enzyme activities of microsomal fractions have been used to examine the behaviour of cytoplasmic membranes during growth deceleration and encystment of Rough and smooth microsomal protein content increased two- to threefold during the transition from exponential growth phase to stationary phase, but declined again as the organisms encysted. Total activities of rotenone-insensitive NADH- and NADPH-cytochrome reductases, enzymes associated with endoplasmic reticulum, were two- to fivefold higher in stationary phase organisms than in exponentially growing organisms, but were 10- to 100-fold lower in mature cysts. Specific activities of these enzymes in homogenates and rough and smooth microsomal fractions showed the same pattern of change. Homogenate and microsomal activities of alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme known to be present on the contractile vacuole membrane, were highest in exponentially growing organisms, lower in stationary phase organisms and lower still, by at least eightfold relative to stationary phase cells, in mature cysts. The data indicate that during the transition to stationary phase there is extensive proliferation of cytoplasmic membranes which are subsequently broken down as the cells encyst. The changing activities of the cytochrome reductases can be attributed to this pattern of membrane synthesis followed by breakdown, although there may also be changes in the abundance of functional enzyme molecules on the membranes. The alterations in alkaline phosphatase activity portray the changing status of the membrane system responsible for water expulsion and reflect a less critical need for osmotic control in the cyst than in the trophozoite.

  • Received:
  • Revised:
  • Published Online:
© Society for General Microbiology 1978
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147
1978-07-01
2025-04-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/micro/107/1/mic-107-1-147.html?itemId=/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Band R. N., Mohrlok S. 1969; The respiratory metabolism of Acanthamoeba rhysodes during encystation. Journal of General Microbiology 59:351–358
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Barnes W., Jensen T. 1967; Cytochemical studies of Acanthamoeba castellanii at various stages in its life cycle. Journal of Protozoology 14:19
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Bosmann H. B., Hagopian A., Eylar E. H. 1968; Cellular membranes: the isolation and characterization of the plasma membrane and smooth membranes of HeLa cells. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 128:51–69
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bowers B., Korn E. D. 1969; The fine structure of Acanthamoeba castellanii. II. Encystment. Journal of Cell Biology 41:786–805
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bowers B., Korn E. D. 1973; Cytochemical identification of phosphatase activity in the contractile vacuole of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Cell Biology 59:784–791
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Byers T. J., Rudick V. L., Rudick M. J. 1969; Cell size, macromolecule composition, nuclear number, oxygen composition and cyst formation during two growth phases in unagitated cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Protozoology 16:693–699
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Chambers J. A., Thompson J. E. 1972; A scanning electron microscope study of the excystment process in Acanthamoeba castellanii. Experimental Cell Research 73:415–421
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Chambers J. A., Thompson J. E. 1974; Age-dependent excystment of the protozoan Acantha-moeba castellanii. Journal of General Microbiology 80:375–380
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Dittmer J. C., Wells M. A. 1969; Quantitative and qualitative analysis of lipids and lipid components. Methods in Enzymology 14:482–530
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Evans D. A. 1973; Growth phase and the number of phosphorylation sites in the mitochondrial electron transport chain of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Protozoology 20:336–338
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Gessat M., Jantzen H. 1974; Die Bedeutung von Adenosin 3′,5′-Monophosphat für die Entwicklung von Acanthamoeba castellanii. Archiv für Mikrobiologie 99:155–166
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Griffiths A. J., Bowen S. M. 1969; Lysosomal activity and its control in encysting Hartmannella castellanii. Journal of General Microbiology 59:239–245
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Jantzen H. 1973; Änderung des Genaktivitats-musters wahrend der Entwicklung von Acanthamoeba castellanii. Archiv für Mikrobiologie 91:163–178
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Jantzen H. 1974; Die Entwicklung von Acanthamoeba castellanni zur Cyste mit und ohne Ver-änderung des Genaktivitätsmusters. Journal of Protozoology 21:791–795
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Lowry O. H., Rosebrough N. J., Farr A. L., Randall R. J. 1951; Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. Journal of Biological Chemistry 193:265–275
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Martin S. M., Byers T. J. 1976; Acid hydrolase activity during growth and encystment in Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Protozoology 23:608–613
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Neff R. J. 1957; Purification, axenic cultivation and description of a soil amoeba Acanthamoeba sp. Journal of Protozoology 4:176–182
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Neff R. J., Neff R. H. 1969; The biochemistry of amoebic encystment. Symposia of the Society for Experimental Biology 23:51–81
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Neff R. J., Ray S. A., Benton W. F., Wilborn M. 1964; Induction of synchronous encystment in Acanthamoeba sp. Methods in Cell Physiology 1:56–83
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Pal R. A. 1972; The osmoregulatory system of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Experimental Biology 57:55–76
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Rengpien S., Bailey G. B. 1975; Differentiation of Entamoeba: a new medium and optimal conditions for axenic encystation of E. invadens. Journal of Parasitology 61:24–30
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Rudick V. L. 1971; Relationships between nucleic acid synthetic patterns and encystment in aging unagitated cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Journal of Cell Biology 49:498–506
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Rudick V. L., Weisman R. A. 1973; DNA- dependent RNA polymerase from trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Biochimica et biophysica acta 299:91–102
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Schneider W. C. 1957; Determination of nucleic acids in tissues by pentose analysis. Methods in Enzymology 3:680–684
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Schultz T. M. G., Thompson J. E. 1969; Enrichment of 5′-nucleotidase in membrane fragments isolated from Acanthamoeba sp. Biochimica et biophysica acta 193:203–211
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Siekevitz P. 1962; Preparation of microsomal and submicrosomal fractions: mammalian. Methods in Enzymology 5:61–68
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Sottocasa G. L., Kuylenstierna B., Ernster L., Bergstrand A. J. 1967; An electron transport system associated with the outer membrane of liver mitochondria. A biochemical and morphological study. Journal of Cell Biology 32:415–438
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Thompson J. E., Schultz T. M. G. 1971; Enzymatic properties of microsomal membranes from the protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii. Experimental Cell Research 68:106–112
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Tomlinson G. 1967; The glyoxylate pathway in Acanthamoeba sp. Journal of Protozoology 14:114–116
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Weisman R. A. 1976; Differentiation in Acanthamoeba castellanii. Annual Review of Microbiology 30:189–219
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Wilkins J. A., Thompson J. E. 1974; The effects of cell population density on the plasma membrane of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Experimental Cell Research 89:143–153
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147
Loading
Growth- and Differentiation-related Enzyme Changes in Cytoplasmic Membranes of Acanthamoeba castellanii
Microbiology 107, 147 (1978); https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-107-1-147
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Most cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error