The striated bands of Paramecium are immunologically distinct from the centrin-specific infraciliary lattice and cytostomal cord.

The pellicle of Paramecium has three two-dimensionally arrayed systems that occupy separate but closely paralleling planes. All three systems are now distinguishable by their differing immunological properties. This study focused on the two deeper systems. The infraciliary lattice lies innermost and labels with centrin-specific antibodies. The middle system, the striated bands, is specifically labeled with a monoclonal antibody that we have raised to a 110 kDa cortical antigen in P. multimicronucleatum. This antibody labels a similar geometric cortical pattern in at least two species, P. multimicronucleatum and P. tetraurelia. Centrin-specific structures appear to be net-like in the above two species but show a more interrupted pattern in P. caudatum. The cytostomal cord is an essentially unbranched extension of the net-like infraciliary lattice and, like it, is centrin-specific. The cord has a unique association with the alveolar sacs which suggest these calcium-storing compartments contribute to the calcium fluxes required for contraction of the cord. A structural rather than a contractile function is favored for the striated bands, based solely on their morphology.