Secondary symbiosis between Paramecium and Chlorella cells

Abstract

Each symbiotic Chlorella species of Paramecium bursaria is enclosed in a perialgal vacuole (PV) membrane derived from the host digestive vacuole (DV) membrane. Algae-free paramecia and symbiotic algae are capable of growing independently and paramecia can be reinfected experimentally by mixing them. This phenomenon provides an excellent model for studying cell-to-cell interaction and the evolution of eukaryotic cells through secondary endosymbiosis between different protists. However, the detailed algal infection process remains unclear. Using pulse labeling of the algae-free paramecia with the isolated symbiotic algae and chase method, we found four necessary cytological events for establishing endosymbiosis. (1) At about 3 min after mixing, some algae show resistance to the host lysosomal enzymes in the DVs, even if the digested ones are present. (2) At about 30 min after mixing, the alga starts to escape from the DVs as the result of the budding of the DV membrane into the cytoplasm. (3) Within 15 min after the escape, the DV membrane enclosing a single green alga differentiates to the PV membrane, which provides protection from lysosomal fusion. (4) The alga localizes at the primary lysosome-less host cell surface by affinity of the PV to unknown structures of the host. At about 24 h after mixing, the alga multiplies by cell division and establishes endosymbiosis. Infection experiments with infection-capable and infection-incapable algae indicate that the infectivity of algae is based on their ability to localize beneath the host surface after escaping from the DVs. This algal infection process differs from known infection processes of other symbiotic or parasitic organisms to their hosts.