PHOTORECEPTOR PIGMENT IN Blepharisma: H+ RELEASE FROM RED PIGMENT |
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Authors: | Tatsuomi Matsuoka Yasunori Murakami Takahiro Furukohri Masaki Ishida Koji Taneda |
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Affiliation: | Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kochi University, Kochi 780, Japan;Laboratories of Cell Biology, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 730, Japan |
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Abstract: | In faded cells of Blepharisma kept in a standard saline solution containing bacteria which had been cultured on agar plates containing glucose and polypepton, threshold light intensity for step-up photophobic response elevated. This result suggests that red pigment (blepharismin) contained in Blepharisma cells is involved in the step-up photophobic response. The pH of the aqueous solution of the red pigment was found to decrease when light was applied, indicating that the pigment releases H+ in response to light stimulation. However, faded pigment preparation by light irradiation did not show pH decrease. In the living cells faded by light irradiation, threshold light intensity for the step-up photophobic response was raised. Results suggest that H+ release from the red pigment induced by light irradiation might be responsible for the step-up photophobic response of the cells. |
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