Saltatory motility of uninserted trichocysts and mitochondria in Paramecium tetraurelia.

In the subcortical regions of the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia, mitochondria and uninserted trichocysts each display saltatory motility with individual characteristics, making them distinguishable from each other and from cellular cyclosis. The saltatory motion of trichocysts is implicated as the means of transporting new trichocysts from the cytoplasm to their ultimate locations in the cellular cortex. Saltatory motion may also be a factor in the intracellular distribution of mitochondria.