Project name: Paramecium tetraurelia

Description: Paramecium tetraurelia is a free-living, unicellular ciliate living in freshwater environments, that is a model organism for genetic, molecular, and many cellular processes. Most paramecia feed on bacteria, algae and yeast, and are then in turn, consumed by other larger protists and small animals, which are in turn preyed upon by larger organisms. Paramecia are thus, a key link in detritus-based food webs in aquatic ecosystems.Similiar to other ciliates, this organism has two nuclei: a germinal and a somatic nucleus. The germinal nucleus or micronucleus is diploid and is responsible for transmission of genetic information whereas the somatic nucleus or macronucleus is polyploid, and is involved in gene transcription. Therefore, only the micronuclei undergo meiosis in order to transfer genetic information to the new generation of organisms. The macronuclei are lost at each generation and develop anew from the micronucleus.

Last updated: 2004-08-16