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Induced and Spontaneous Abnormality in Ciliates

Abstract

MOTTRAM1,2, by means of various physical agents and by means of certain cyclic hydrocarbons—all factors, except one of the latter group, said to be carcinogenic—disorganised a ciliate and found some persistence of abnormality in the offspring of the disorganised cells. At first he named the ciliate Paramecium aurelia1 and later Paramecium and P. colpoda Ehr., but finally adjusted the identification to "an amicronucleate race of Colpidium"2. It is important to realize that his ciliate, being without a micronucleus, was intrinsically abnormal. In the reaction he suggested an analogy to tumour formation and surmised that where such abnormals arise spontaneously in culture there has been unwittingly some exposure to a carcinogenic factor.

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LLOYD, L. Induced and Spontaneous Abnormality in Ciliates. Nature 162, 188–189 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162188b0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162188b0

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