Signaling in temperature-induced resting cyst formation in the ciliated protozoan Colpoda cucullus

Characterization of the encystment-inducing activity of extracellular fluid from encysting vegetative cells in the terrestrial ciliated protozoa Colpoda cucullus

The terrestrial ciliated protozoan Colpoda cucullus transforms into a dehydration-resistant cyst upon sensing adverse signals. Recently, we identified a pheromone secreted by encysting vegetative cells of C. cucullus, termed "encystment-inducing pheromone" (EnIP), and characterized its properties. Overpopulated vegetative cells spontaneously encysted in ion-free ultrapure water without external stimuli. The external solution of encysting cells markedly induced encystment in vegetative cells under low cell density conditions, suggesting that EnIP, secreted by encysting cells into the external solution, induced encystment in vegetative cells. Further investigations revealed the following properties of EnIP: 1) EnIP retains encystment-inducing activity even in the presence of EGTA. 2) EnIP exhibits a concentration-dependent encystment effect. 3) EnIP is released within hours at high cell density. 4) EnIP is released by exocytosis. 5) EnIP loses its activity after 1-2 days. 6) EnIP is inactivated by heating and treatment with proteolytic enzymes. 7) The nominal molecular weight of EnIP was estimated to range between 10 and 100 kDa. These findings lead to the conclusion that encystment-induced C. cucullus vegetative cells secrete EnIP, a protein pheromone, with encystment-inducing activity for other cells. This study contributes to understanding microbial communication and reveals a novel mechanism for protist survival in harsh environments.

Resting Cyst Formation as a Strategy for Environmental Adaptation in Colpodid Ciliates

Resting cyst formation is a strategic aspect of the life cycle of some eukaryotes such as protists, and particularly ciliates, that enables adaptation to unfavorable environmental conditions. The formation of resting cysts involves large scale morphological and physiological changes that provide tolerance of extreme environmental stresses. The resting cyst shows suppression of normal features of life such as eating, moving, proliferation, and even mitochondrial metabolic activity, and appears lifeless. This review discusses resting cyst formation in the ciliates Colpoda as a representative model of cyst-forming organisms, and focusses on morphogenesis, molecular events, tolerances, and metabolic activities in resting cysts.

How Ciliated Protists Survive by Cysts: Some Key Points During Encystment and Excystment

Forming cysts is a common and important bionomic strategy for microorganisms to persist in harsh environments. In ciliated protists, many species have been reported to form cysts when facing unfavorable conditions. Despite traditional studies on the morphological features of cysts and the chemical composition of cyst wall, recent research has focused more on the molecular mechanisms of encystment. The present work reviews studies on developmental features and molecular information of resting cysts in ciliates, and pays more attention to the following questions: what are the inducing factors of encystment and excystment? How does the cell change morphologically during these dynamic processes? And what molecular mechanisms underlie those changes? We also present and summarize the characteristics of cysts from diverse ciliate lineages in a phylogenetic framework, aiming to provide new perspectives for studies on adaptive evolution of unicellular eukaryotes.