Lysosomal physiology in Tetrahymena. I. Effect of glucose, acetate, pyruvate, and carmine on intracellular content and extracellular release of three acid hydrolases.

Log-phase Tetrahymena were washed and resuspended in a dilute salt solution supplemented with glucose, acetate, pyruvate, or carmine, as desired, and then incubated for 5 h. Intra- and extracellular activities of acid phosphatase, alpha-glucosidase, and ribonuclease were assayed. Extracellular activities were corrected for proteolytic degradation. The three nutritive substrates affected both the amount and pattern of extracellular enzyme release, but carmine had no effect. Intracellular activities declined early in the starvation period, but partially recovered with time, particularly alpha-glucosidase activity. Acetate reduced the decline in acid phosphatase activity; acetate and glucose enhanced the recovery of alpha-glucosidase activity; carmine had no effect on intracellular enzyme activities. Protein content changed little and was unaffected by the addition of substrates. Glycogen content increased during incubation; acetate and glucose enhanced the increase.