CYTOSKELETON IN TRICHOMONADS .3. STUDY OF THE MORPHOGENESIS DURING DIVISION BY USING MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES AGAINST CYTOSKELETAL STRUCTURES

The morphogenesis during division of Trichomonas vaginalis, Tritrichomonas foetus and Tritrichomonas augusta has been followed by immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies against striated/microfibrillar structures (costa, parabasal fibre, preaxostylar fibres and undulating membrane) and microtubular structures (flagella, pelta-axostyle complex, mitotic spindle) as well as by nuclear staining. The morphogenetic events were very similar in the three trichomonad species. The interphase microtubular pattern displayed remarkable changes at the onset of mitosis: the parental axostyle depolymerized and the spindle (or paradesmosis) became apparent. Elongation of the paradesmosis led to the separation of the daughter mastigonts. A new axostyle developed close to the basal bodies in each daughter kinetid. At the end of mitosis, the normal number of flagella was restored in each sister kinetid and the paradesmosis depolymerized beginning from its middle part before cytokinesis. The behaviour of striated/microfibrillar structures during mitosis differed from that of the microtubular axostyle-pelta complex. Their development was semi-conservative. The parental structures were retained in one sister kinetid and new structures were synthesized very early in the other one.