Summary
ItAmoeba proteus, A. dubia, A. dofleini, orA. radiosa is put into a solution of albumin or into a hypertonic balanced salt solution or a hypertonic solution of calcium gluconate, it rapidly decreases in volume, then numerous tubes filled with fluid are formed. These tubes disintegrate releasing their fluid content inside of the organism. There are frequently more than 50 at a time. Considerable quantities of fluid are consequently ingested in this way.
The ingestion of fluid by means of these tubes is a biological adaptation which serves to compensate for the rapid loss of water.
It is probable that the process of ingestion of fluid observed byLewis in macrophages is similar to that inAmoeba, and that it occurs in many other cells.
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Mast, S.O., Doyle, W.L. Ingestion of fluid by Amoeba. Protoplasma 20, 555–560 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02674847
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02674847