Evidence for the presence of dna in the pellicle of Paramecium

Abstract
Two lines of evidence for the existence of DNA in the pellicle of Paramecium are presented : fluorescence staining and autoradiography. The latter shows deoxyribonuclease-sensitive incorporation of tritiated thymidine in or near the kineties. Fluorescence microscopy permits the localization of DNA at the site of kinetosomes. The possibility that the DNA is not native to the pellicle but introduced during preparative procedures is tested experimentally and shown to be unlikely.