Effects of hydrostatic pressure in the range 100-300 atmospheres on cell division and protein synthesis in synchronized Tetrahymena pyriformis: a comparison with cycloheximide and emetine.

Heat-synchronized Tetrahymena pyriformis have been subjected to 5-, 15- and 30-minute pulses of hydrostatic pressure in the range 100-300 atm, without being simultaneously subjected to significant heats of compression. The pressure-induced division delays depend on (1) the level of pressure used, (2) the length of pressure pulse and (3) the time after the synchronizing treatment at which the pressure is applied. A pressure-dependent inhibition of 3H-leucine incorporation into protein was also measured. Comparison of the effects of pressure with those of pulse treatments of cycloheximide and emetine on cell division and protein synthesis revealed that the physical agent produced characteristically different responses from those of the chemical agents. Of particular interest was the fact that the division delays induced by pressures of 200 atm and above were greater than those observed after treatments with cyclohexmide and emetine which produced comparable levels of protein synthesis inhibition. Pressure also delayed cells if it was applied at a time when addition of chemical inhibitors had little effect on the first synchronous division. The results show that inhibition of protein synthesis by pressure cannot entirely account for pressure-induced effects on cell division. The possibility that pressure may also directly affect other processes, such as the assembly of proteins into structure required for division, is discussed.