Ciliated protists represent a morphologically and genetically distinct group of single-celled eukaryotes which can reproduce asexually and sexually. Morphogenesis occurs in both asexual and sexual modes of reproduction which is of interest for researchers investigating cell differentiation, regeneration, systematics and evolution. However, studies of morphogenesis have concentrated almost entirely on the asexual mode. Here we use protargol staining to investigate the morphogenetic processes during sexual reproduction in the model species Euplotes vannus (Müller). The major events include: (1) two rounds of morphogenesis occur during sexual reproduction, i.e., conjugational and postconjugational reorganization; (2) in both processes the oral primordium is generated de novo in a pouch beneath the cortex; (3) the frontoventral-transverse cirri anlagen are formed de novo and fragment in a 3:3:3:3:2 pattern; (4) the leftmost cirrus and the paroral membrane do not change during conjugational morphogenesis, but reorganize de novo during postconjugational morphogenesis; (5) marginal cirral anlagen are formed de novo in both morphogenetic processes; (6) two or three caudal cirri are formed at the ends of the rightmost two or three old dorsal kineties; (7) the dorsal kineties are retained entirely. These results can serve as reference to investigate the morphogenetic events in the different stages of sexual reproduction.

有纤毛的原生生物代表了形态和遗传上截然不同的单细胞真核生物群，它们可以无性和有性繁殖。形态发生以无性繁殖和有性繁殖两种方式发生，这对于研究细胞分化，再生，系统性和进化的研究人员很感兴趣。但是，形态发生的研究几乎完全集中在无性模式上。在这里，我们使用普鲁塔果酚染色来研究模型物种Eupplotes vannus有性繁殖期间的形态发生过程。（穆勒）。主要事件包括：（1）在有性生殖过程中发生了两轮形态发生，即共轭重组和共轭重组。（2）在这两个过程中，口服原基都是从皮层下方的小袋中重新产生的；（3）额腹横肌腱以3：3：3：3：2的方式从头开始形成并断裂。（4）最左的卷云和顶壁膜在结合形态发生过程中没有改变，而是在结合形态发生后重新组织。（5）在两个形态发生过程中都从头形成了边缘性胶原蛋白。（6）在最右边的两个或三个旧背运动的末端形成两个或三个尾鳍。（7）背运动完全保留。