Jeon K W
Department of Zoology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996, USA.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 1995 Jan-Feb;42(1):1-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1995.tb01532.x.
The large, free-living amoebae have been widely used as model cells for studying a variety of biological phenomena, including cell motility, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, membrane function, and symbiosis. Results of studies by our group on amoebae as moving cells, as material for micrurgical manipulations, and as hosts for intracellular symbionts are summarized here. In particular, our recent studies of the amoeba as a microcosm, in which spontaneously infecting foreign microbes have become integrated as necessary cell components, are described in some detail. These processes have involved an initial microbial infection, mutual adaptation by the host and symbionts, and development of obligatory symbiosis. Evidence is presented to show that symbiont-derived macromolecules are involved in the protection of symbionts from digestion, the symbionts have acquired regulatory elements on their chromosomal genes to enhance production of beneficial gene products, and symbionts apparently utilize host-derived macromolecules to their benefit. These studies involved morphological observations both at light and electron microscopic levels, physiological and genetic studies, production and use of poly- and monoclonal antibodies, and molecular-biological approaches including gene cloning and sequencing. It is shown that amoebae are uniquely suited as model cells with which to study these phenomena.
大型自由生活变形虫已被广泛用作模型细胞，用于研究各种生物学现象，包括细胞运动、核质相互作用、膜功能和共生现象。本文总结了我们小组关于变形虫作为运动细胞、显微手术操作材料以及细胞内共生体宿主的研究结果。特别详细描述了我们最近将变形虫作为一个微观世界的研究，在这个微观世界中，自发感染的外来微生物已作为必需的细胞成分整合进来。这些过程包括最初的微生物感染、宿主与共生体的相互适应以及 obligatory 共生的发展。有证据表明，共生体衍生的大分子参与保护共生体不被消化，共生体在其染色体基因上获得了调控元件以增强有益基因产物的产生，并且共生体显然利用宿主衍生的大分子为自身谋利。这些研究涉及光镜和电镜水平的形态学观察、生理学和遗传学研究、多克隆和单克隆抗体的制备与应用，以及包括基因克隆和测序在内的分子生物学方法。结果表明，变形虫作为研究这些现象的模型细胞具有独特的优势。
