Programming of the macronucleus of Paramecium during asexual and sexual reproduction: A further study with cytidine analogues, dimethylsulfoxide, L-ethionine and N-butyric acid

The control of the function of the macronucleus of Paramecium is studied, in connection with its role in the compensation for the asexual somatic function of the micronucleus. Following removal of the micronuclei, amicronucleate cell lines as a rule suffer a transient period of growth and developmental depression in the initial phase of asexual propagation. But they gradually recover to near-normal. Previous studies of treatment of amicronucleate cells with cytidine analogues have implicated the macronucleus in compensating for the somatic function of the micronucleus following the loss of the micronucleus, and the activation of this macronuclear function probably involves DNA-demethylation. The present study further tests this notion, by treating micronucleate cells with agents known to promote demethylation of 5-methylcytosine. After treatment, the cells were vegetatively propagated, and then enucleated to give rise to amicronucleate cell lines. Treatments with dimethylsulfoxide, L-ethionine, and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine promoted recovery in amicronucleate cell lines thus derived. Cells treated with 6-azacytidine did not produce such an effect. Hence, the compensatory mechanism, presumably residing in a repressed state in the macronucleus, can be activated or primed to activate by demethylating agents even before the loss of the micronucleus, and once established the new macronuclear programme perpetuates in succeeding asexual cell generations. This shows that during asexual propagation the macronuclear programme can be altered to ‘pre-adapt’ the cells for amicronuclearity. Treatment of micronucleate conjugants with 5-azacytidine, when the macronuclear anlagen develop, produced clones that had become similarly pre-adapted. There were also some indication of persistence of such effects of the analogue into the next clonal cycle following autogamy. The notion of macronuclear DNA-demethylation as a basis for the activation and maintenance of the compensatory mechanism is discussed.