Characterization of a green Stentor with symbiotic algae growing in an extremely oligotrophic environment and storing large amounts of starch granules in its cytoplasm.

ABSTRACT: The genus Stentor is a relatively well-known ciliate owing to its lucid trumpet shape. Stentor pyriformis represents a green, short, and fat Stentor, but it is a little-known species. We investigated 124 ponds and wetlands in Japan and confirmed the presence of S. pyriformis at 23 locations. All these ponds were noticeably oligotrophic. With the improvement of oligotrophic culture conditions, we succeeded in long-term cultivation of three strains of S. pyriformis. The cytoplasm of S. piriformis contains a large number of 1-3 μm refractive granules that turn brown by Lugol's staining. The granules also show a typical Maltese-cross pattern by polarization microscopy, strongly suggesting that the granules are made of amylopectin-rich starch. By analyzing the algal rDNA, it was found that all

SUBMITTER: Hoshina R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7859197 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature