Stage-specific appearance of cytoplasmic microtubules around the surviving nuclei during the third prezygotic division of <I>Paramecium</I>

• DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1141.2012.e05-06e98
• Publication Date: 2013-02-05T04:25:00Z
• Authors: Yiwen WANG; Jinqiang YUAN; Xin GAO; Xianyu YANG
• Keywords: Pronucleus

There are six micronuclear divisions during conjugation of Paramecium caudatum: three prezygotic and postzygotic divisions. Four haploid nuclei formed the first two meiotic Usually only one product is located in paroral cone (PC) region at completion meiosis, which survives divides mitotically to complete third division yield a stationary migratory pronucleus. The remaining outside PC degenerate. pronuclei then exchanged between conjugants fuse with form synkarya, undergo successive (postzygotic divisions). However, little known about surviving mechanism nuclei. In current study, stage-specific appearance cytoplasmic microtubules (cMTs) was indicated by immunofluorescence labeling anti-alpha tubulin antibodies surrounding nuclei, including types prospective pronuclei. This suggested that cMTs were involved formation physical barrier, whose function may relate sequestering protecting from major cytoplasm, where degeneration extra-meiotic products occurs, another important nuclear event division.