Immaturity substances in Paramecium primaurelia and their specificity.

Cells of Paramecium primaurelia in the immaturity period of the life cycle contain substances which repress the expression of mating ability when introduced into mature cells. When the immature cytoplasm of P. primaurelia was injected into mating-reactive cells of P. tetraurelia, P. caudatum and P. multimicronucleatum, immaturity was also induced in them. But the immature cytoplasm of P. primaurelia was ineffective when injected into mature cells of P. bursaria. When the immature cytoplasm of P. bursaria was injected into mating-reactive cells of P. primaurelia and P. tetraurelia, no difference from the control was observed. When the immature cytoplasm of P. caudatum was injected into mating-reactive cells of P. primaurelia and P. tetraurelia, immaturity was induced in cells of the latter 2 species.