Proline-glycine, proline-leucine and proline-valine dipeptides and their retro variants were used in the experiments to study the effects of pretreatment (imprinting) in Tetrahymena, by investigating fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated peptide binding. The protozoan organism could differentiate between the proline-dipeptides containing different partner amino-acids and between the dipeptides having the amino acids in reversed positions. The effect of imprinting was positive or negative and this was dependent on the type of the partner amino acid and on its position. Pro-Gly and Pro-Leu induced positive imprinting (elevated FITC-dipeptide binding) and Pro-Val induced negative imprinting (decrease of FITC-peptide binding). There was positive imprinting induction in two cases for the retro FITC-peptide and in one case for the FITC-conjugate of the imprinter peptide itself. The highest positive imprinting (almost 60% increase) was induced by Pro-Gly for FITC-Gly-Pro. Considering earlier—chemotaxis—experiments, the results of the present—binding—studies run parallel with the physiological effects. The experiments call attention to the sharp differentiating ability of small peptides at a unicellular level, that could have some role in the selection of molecules for hormone formation, during evolution.

L-alanine and its peptides (L-Ala-2–6) do not attract or repulse Tetrahymena in a 10 −8 M concentration. In 10 −10 M concentration there is a consistent repellent effect. Twenty four hours after L-alanine or L-alanine-peptides' pretreatment (imprinting) the progeny generation of the cells react differently to the same materials. L-Alanine, L-alanine penta- and hexapeptide in both concentrations are chemoattractant, while L-alanine tetrapeptide is repellent. L-Alanine dipeptide is inert in 10 −10 M and repellent at 10 −8 M concentrations, while L-alanine tripeptide is strongly repellent at 10 −10 M and attractant at 10 −8 M concentrations. This means, that the first encounter (imprinting) with an exogeneous amino acid or peptide is decisive to the later reaction of the protozoan cell. The chain length is important in the imprinting, however the reaction is not consistent. The experiments call the attention to the significance of imprinting in the receptor and hormone evolution.

Histamine increased specifically the phagocytic activity of the unicellular Tetrahymena, whereas insulin had no influence on it. Insulin antagonized the phagocytosis stimulating action of histamine after simultaneous exposure and after preexposure two days earlier as well, although in the latter case to a lesser degree. Double exposure to a combination of histamine + insulin didn't influence the phagocytic activity at all, demonstrating the histamine antagonizing effect of insulin in this model.

Certain non-hormone oligopeptides have a greater imprinting effect on Tetrahymena than others. The imprinting potential is unrelated to the length of the peptide chain, but seems greatly dependent on the amino acid sequence. The direct growth-stimulant action developed by the peptides at the first interaction is unrelated to their imprinting effect.