[Epidermal growth factor stimulates proliferation and DNA synthesis in ciliate cells].

We studied the effect of murine epidermal growth factor on cell proliferation and DNA synthesis in macronuclei of ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis G1. Mitogenic effect of epidermal growth factor on proliferation-induced tetrahymena cells has been revealed. This effect is due to the induced progression of cells at G1 and, consequently, their earlier entering DNA synthesis phase of the first cell cycle. Epidermal growth factor had no mitogenic effect on the resting cells from stationary culture (G0 phase) whose development is independent of the growth factors in the medium.