The permeability of the protozoan cell membrane to water and ions under the action of ultraviolet light

The action of ultraviolet light on certain membrane properties of protozoa was investigated in Paramecium, Euplotes, and Opalina using the following methods: observation of morphological changes of the animals, recording of the osmoregulatory organelle (Paramecium), and measurement of membrane potential and resistance by means of intracellularly inserted microelectrodes. This paper presents only slow effects which occur within some minutes after uv irradiation and does not directly concern excitability of protozoa. Due to large uv doses swelling was observed both in Paramecium and Opalina; in Euplotes a liquid-filled vacuole was formed. Small uv doses cause an increase in the frequency of the contractile vacuole of Paramecium; larger doses diminish the frequency reversibly (Fig. 4), and even larger doses lead to an irreversible inactivation of this organelle. Membrane potential and membrane resistance in Opalina are shown to change in different ways under continuous irradiation (Fig. 13): After a transient decrease the membrane potential increases to about the initial value and after this it decreases to zero, whereas the membrane resistance decreases from the beginning of irradiation. The spectral sensitivity curve (Fig. 9) obtained from a standard decrease of the membrane potential shows a maximum at about 280 nm and a rise from 250 nm towards shorter wavelengths. The results indicate an influx of water following the osmotic gradient and an increase of the membrane permeability to cations. With respect to the different behavior of membrane potential and conductivity the mechanism of uv action is discussed. The most probable assumption is that the permeability increases unspecifically but gradually in succession for water, chloride, potassium, and sodium. The possibility of disruption of disulfide links is discussed with respect to the spectral sensitivity curve. It is suggested that the altered permeability is based on photochemically induced changes of the structure of proteins which are either part of the membrane or have an important function in the regulation of the membrane permeability.