Vitamin E supplementation and intense selection increase clonal life span in Paramecium tetraurelia. 1988

J Thomas, and D Nyberg
University of Illinois, Department of Biological Sciences, Chicago 60680.

Vitamin E added to standard Cerophyl medium at 0.025 mg/ml significantly increased the mean clonal life span of 32 lines of Paramecium tetraurelia from 52.5 days and 187 fissions to 59.9 days and 209 fissions (p less than .05) when compared to unsupplemented, paired controls. The age-specific death rates increased exponentially. Regression analyses found a significantly lower rate of increasing mortality for the supplemented lines compared to controls. Weekly fission rates of supplemented lines declined linearly; more slowly than controls, but not significantly so. A second experiment tested two higher levels of supplemental vitamin E (0.10 and 1.00 mg/ml). Sublines receiving 1.00 mg/ml of supplemental vitamin E had higher rates of mortality and lower fission rates initially, but the mortality rates increased and the fission rates decreased more slowly than in sublines receiving 0.10 mg/ml supplemental vitamin E, resulting in maximum clonal life spans of 141 days and 330 fissions (1.00 mg/ml sublines), compared to 74 days and 271 fissions (0.10 mg/ml sublines). Survivorship of the last individual cells (nondividing) of each clone followed an exponential decline, with a significant increase in mean survival time for supplemented compared to unsupplemented cells (p less than .05).

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010247 Paramecium A genus of ciliate protozoa that is often large enough to be seen by the naked eye. Paramecia are commonly used in genetic, cytological, and other research. Parameciums
D012098 Reproduction The total process by which organisms produce offspring. (Stedman, 25th ed) Human Reproductive Index,Human Reproductive Indexes,Reproductive Period,Human Reproductive Indices,Index, Human Reproductive,Indexes, Human Reproductive,Indices, Human Reproductive,Period, Reproductive,Periods, Reproductive,Reproductive Index, Human,Reproductive Indices, Human,Reproductive Periods
D002999 Clone Cells A group of genetically identical cells all descended from a single common ancestral cell by mitosis in eukaryotes or by binary fission in prokaryotes. Clone cells also include populations of recombinant DNA molecules all carrying the same inserted sequence. (From King & Stansfield, Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed) Clones,Cell, Clone,Cells, Clone,Clone,Clone Cell
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014810 Vitamin E A generic descriptor for all TOCOPHEROLS and TOCOTRIENOLS that exhibit ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL activity. By virtue of the phenolic hydrogen on the 2H-1-benzopyran-6-ol nucleus, these compounds exhibit varying degree of antioxidant activity, depending on the site and number of methyl groups and the type of ISOPRENOIDS.

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