Thorington G U, Hessinger D A
Biol Bull. 1990 Feb;178(1):74-83. doi: 10.2307/1541539.
Spirocysts are two to three times more abundant than nematocysts in the feeding tentacles of acontiate sea anemones. Despite their prevalence, little experimental work has been done on the discharge of spirocysts because of the difficulty in detecting and counting them after they have discharged. To circumvent this problem, we have developed a simple, reliable, enzyme-linked lectin sorbent assay (ELLSA) for quantifying discharged spirocysts. With this method, we have shown that the discharge of spirocysts, like that of mastigophore nematocysts, is chemosensitized in a dose-dependent manner by three classes of low molecular weight substances, typified by N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA), glycine, and certain heterocyclic amino compounds, such as proline and histamine. We also show that spirocysts exhibit considerable agonist-specific variation in the dose-responses of discharge, suggesting the existence of multiple populations of spirocyst-bearing cnidocyte/supporting cell complexes (CSCCs). Our findings call into question commonly held views regarding the respective roles of spirocysts and mastigophore nematocysts in the retention of captured prey.
在无柄海葵的摄食触手内，刺胞囊的数量比刺丝囊多两到三倍。尽管它们很常见，但由于刺胞囊排出后难以检测和计数，因此关于其排出的实验研究很少。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了一种简单、可靠的酶联凝集素吸附测定法（ELLSA）来定量已排出的刺胞囊。通过这种方法，我们发现，与鞭毛刺丝囊一样，刺胞囊的排出也会被三类低分子量物质以剂量依赖的方式化学致敏，这些物质以N - 乙酰神经氨酸（NANA）、甘氨酸以及某些杂环氨基化合物（如脯氨酸和组胺）为代表。我们还表明，刺胞囊在排出的剂量反应中表现出相当大的激动剂特异性差异，这表明存在多种携带刺胞囊的刺细胞/支持细胞复合体（CSCCs）群体。我们的研究结果对关于刺胞囊和鞭毛刺丝囊在捕获猎物保留中各自作用的普遍观点提出了质疑。
