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Romanova DY, Moroz LL. Parallel evolution of gravity sensing. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1346032. [PMID: 38516131 PMCID: PMC10954788 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1346032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Omnipresent gravity affects all living organisms; it was a vital factor in the past and the current bottleneck for future space exploration. However, little is known about the evolution of gravity sensing and the comparative biology of gravity reception. Here, by tracing the parallel evolution of gravity sensing, we encounter situations when assemblies of homologous modules result in the emergence of non-homologous structures with similar systemic properties. This is a perfect example to study homoplasy at all levels of biological organization. Apart from numerous practical implementations for bioengineering and astrobiology, the diversity of gravity signaling presents unique reference paradigms to understand hierarchical homology transitions to the convergent evolution of integrative systems. Second, by comparing gravisensory systems in major superclades of basal metazoans (ctenophores, sponges, placozoans, cnidarians, and bilaterians), we illuminate parallel evolution and alternative solutions implemented by basal metazoans toward spatial orientation, focusing on gravitational sensitivity and locomotory integrative systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Y. Romanova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Leonid L. Moroz
- Departments of Neuroscience and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, United States
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2
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Gryganskyi AP, Golan J, Muszewska A, Idnurm A, Dolatabadi S, Mondo SJ, Kutovenko VB, Kutovenko VO, Gajdeczka MT, Anishchenko IM, Pawlowska J, Tran NV, Ebersberger I, Voigt K, Wang Y, Chang Y, Pawlowska TE, Heitman J, Vilgalys R, Bonito G, Benny GL, Smith ME, Reynolds N, James TY, Grigoriev IV, Spatafora JW, Stajich JE. Sequencing the Genomes of the First Terrestrial Fungal Lineages: What Have We Learned? Microorganisms 2023; 11:1830. [PMID: 37513002 PMCID: PMC10386755 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The first genome sequenced of a eukaryotic organism was for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as reported in 1996, but it was more than 10 years before any of the zygomycete fungi, which are the early-diverging terrestrial fungi currently placed in the phyla Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota, were sequenced. The genome for Rhizopus delemar was completed in 2008; currently, more than 1000 zygomycete genomes have been sequenced. Genomic data from these early-diverging terrestrial fungi revealed deep phylogenetic separation of the two major clades-primarily plant-associated saprotrophic and mycorrhizal Mucoromycota versus the primarily mycoparasitic or animal-associated parasites and commensals in the Zoopagomycota. Genomic studies provide many valuable insights into how these fungi evolved in response to the challenges of living on land, including adaptations to sensing light and gravity, development of hyphal growth, and co-existence with the first terrestrial plants. Genome sequence data have facilitated studies of genome architecture, including a history of genome duplications and horizontal gene transfer events, distribution and organization of mating type loci, rDNA genes and transposable elements, methylation processes, and genes useful for various industrial applications. Pathogenicity genes and specialized secondary metabolites have also been detected in soil saprobes and pathogenic fungi. Novel endosymbiotic bacteria and viruses have been discovered during several zygomycete genome projects. Overall, genomic information has helped to resolve a plethora of research questions, from the placement of zygomycetes on the evolutionary tree of life and in natural ecosystems, to the applied biotechnological and medical questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrii P. Gryganskyi
- Division of Biological & Nanoscale Technologies, UES, Inc., Dayton, OH 45432, USA
| | - Jacob Golan
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Anna Muszewska
- Institute of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Alexander Idnurm
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Somayeh Dolatabadi
- Biology Department, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar 96179-76487, Iran;
| | - Stephen J. Mondo
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; (S.J.M.); (I.V.G.)
| | - Vira B. Kutovenko
- Department of Agrobiology, National University of Life & Environmental Sciences, 03041 Kyiv, Ukraine; (V.B.K.)
| | - Volodymyr O. Kutovenko
- Department of Agrobiology, National University of Life & Environmental Sciences, 03041 Kyiv, Ukraine; (V.B.K.)
| | | | - Iryna M. Anishchenko
- MG Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences, 01030 Kyiv, Ukraine;
| | - Julia Pawlowska
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological & Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Ngoc Vinh Tran
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; (N.V.T.); (G.L.B.); (M.E.S.)
| | - Ingo Ebersberger
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research & Infection Biology, 07745 Jena, Germany; (I.E.); (K.V.)
| | - Kerstin Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research & Infection Biology, 07745 Jena, Germany; (I.E.); (K.V.)
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada;
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ying Chang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore;
| | - Teresa E. Pawlowska
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; (T.E.P.); (N.R.)
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Rytas Vilgalys
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA;
| | - Gregory Bonito
- Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
| | - Gerald L. Benny
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; (N.V.T.); (G.L.B.); (M.E.S.)
| | - Matthew E. Smith
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; (N.V.T.); (G.L.B.); (M.E.S.)
| | - Nicole Reynolds
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; (T.E.P.); (N.R.)
| | - Timothy Y. James
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Igor V. Grigoriev
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; (S.J.M.); (I.V.G.)
- Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Joseph W. Spatafora
- Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
| | - Jason E. Stajich
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA 93106, USA;
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Živanović BD, Ullrich K, Spasić SZ, Galland P. Auxin- and pH-induced guttation in Phycomyces sporangiophores: relation between guttation and diminished elongation growth. PROTOPLASMA 2023; 260:1109-1133. [PMID: 36622433 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-022-01833-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Guttation, the formation of exudation water, is widespread among plants and fungi, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. We describe the conditions for inducing guttation in sporangiophores of the mucoracean fungus, Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Cultivation on peptone-enriched potato dextrose agar elicits vigorous guttation mainly below the apical growing zone, while sporangiophores raised on a glucose-mineral medium manifest only moderate guttation. Mycelia do not guttate irrespective of the employed media. The topology of guttation droplets allows identifying the non-growing part of the sporangiophore as a guttation zone, which responds to humidity and medium composition in ways that become relevant for turgor homeostasis and thus the sensor physiology of the growing zone. Apparently, the entire sporangiophore, rather than exclusively the growing zone, participates in signal reception and integration to generate a common growth output. Exogenous auxin applied to the growing zones elicits two correlated responses: (i) formation of guttation droplets in the growing and transition zones below the sporangium and (ii) a diminution of the growth rate. In sporangiophore populations, guttation-induction by exogenous control buffer occurs at low frequencies; the bias for guttation increases with increasing auxin concentration. Synthetic auxins and the transport inhibitor NPA suppress guttation completely, but leave growth rates largely unaffected. Mutants C2 carA and C148 carA madC display higher sensitivities for auxin-induced guttation compared to wild type. A working model for guttation includes aquaporins and mechanosensitive ion channels that we identified in Phycomyces by sequence domain searches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branka D Živanović
- Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Kristian Ullrich
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, August Thienemann Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Sladjana Z Spasić
- Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia
- Singidunum University, Danijelova 32, 11010, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Paul Galland
- Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch Str. 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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Hupka M, Kedia R, Schauer R, Shepard B, Granados-Presa M, Vande Hei M, Flores P, Zea L. Morphology of Penicillium rubens Biofilms Formed in Space. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13041001. [PMID: 37109532 PMCID: PMC10144393 DOI: 10.3390/life13041001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungi biofilms have been found growing on spacecraft surfaces such as windows, piping, cables, etc. The contamination of these surfaces with fungi, although undesirable, is highly difficult to avoid. While several biofilm forming species, including Penicillium rubens, have been identified in spacecraft, the effect of microgravity on fungal biofilm formation is unknown. This study sent seven material surfaces (Stainless Steel 316, Aluminum Alloy, Titanium Alloy, Carbon Fiber, Quartz, Silicone, and Nanograss) inoculated with spores of P. rubens to the International Space Station and allowed biofilms to form for 10, 15, and 20 days to understand the effects of microgravity on biofilm morphology and growth. In general, microgravity did not induce changes in the shape of biofilms, nor did it affect growth in terms of biomass, thickness, and surface area coverage. However, microgravity increased or decreased biofilm formation in some cases, and this was incubation-time- and material-dependent. Nanograss was the material with significantly less biofilm formation, both in microgravity and on Earth, and it could potentially be interfering with hyphal adhesion and/or spore germination. Additionally, a decrease in biofilm formation at 20 days, potentially due to nutrient depletion, was seen in some space and Earth samples and was material-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Hupka
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Raj Kedia
- Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Rylee Schauer
- BioServe Space Technologies, Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Brooke Shepard
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | | | | | - Pamela Flores
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioServe Space Technologies, Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Luis Zea
- BioServe Space Technologies, Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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Money NP. Goldilocks mushrooms: How ballistospory has shaped basidiomycete evolution. Fungal Biol 2023; 127:975-984. [PMID: 37024157 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Ballistospory has been a governing factor in mushroom diversification. Modifications to fruit body morphology are subject to a series of fundamental constraints imposed by this uniquely fungal mechanism. Gill spacing in lamellate mushrooms, tube width in poroid species, and other configurations of the hymenium must comply with the distance that spores shoot themselves from their basidia. This reciprocal relationship between the development of fruit bodies and spores may have been maintained by a form of evolutionary seesaw proposed in this article. The necessity of the accurate gravitropic orientation of gills and tubes is another constraint on mushroom development and physiology, along with the importance of evaporative cooling of the hymenium for successful spore discharge and the aerodynamic shaping of the fruit body to aid dispersal. Ballistospory has been lost in secotioid and gasteroid basidiomycetes whose spores are dispersed by animal vectors and has been replaced by alterative mechanisms of active spore discharge in some species. Partnered with the conclusions drawn from molecular phylogenetic research, the biomechanical themes discussed in this review afford new ways to think about the evolution of basidiomycetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Money
- Western Program and Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.
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Živanović BD, Luković JD, Korać A, Stanić M, Spasić SZ, Galland P. Signal transduction in Phycomyces sporangiophores: columella as a novel sensory organelle mediating auxin-modulated growth rate and membrane potential. PROTOPLASMA 2022; 259:917-935. [PMID: 34595603 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01709-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The growing zone (GZ) of the unicellular coenocytic sporangiophore of Phycomyces blakesleeanus represents the site of stimulus reception (light, gravity, gas) and stimulus response, i.e., local modulations of the elongation growth, which may result, in dependence of the stimulus direction, in tropic bending. Until now, evidence for a possible participation of the columella in sensory reception is absent. We confirm with light microscopy earlier studies that show that the GZ and the columella are not separated by a membrane or cell wall, but rather form a spatial continuum that allows free exchange of cytoplasm and organelle transport. Evidence is presented that the columella is responsive to external stimuli. Columellae, from which spores and sporangial cell wall had been removed, respond to exogenous auxin with a local depolarization of the membrane potential and an increased growth rate of the GZ. In contrast, auxin applied to the GZ causes a decrease of the growth rate irrespective of the presence or absence of sporangia. The response pattern is specific and relevant for the sensory reception of Phycomyces, because the light-insensitive mutant C148carAmadC, which lacks the RAS-GAP protein MADC, displays abnormal IAA sensitivity and membrane depolarization. We argue that the traditional concept of the GZ as the only stimulus-sensitive zone should be abandoned in favor of a model in which GZ and columella operate as a single entity capable to orchestrate a multitude of stimulus inputs, including auxin, to modulate the membrane potential and elongation growth of the GZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branka D Živanović
- Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia.
- School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia.
| | - Jelena Danilović Luković
- Institute for Application of Nuclear Energy, University of Belgrade, Banatska 31b, 11080, Belgrade-Zemun, Serbia
| | - Aleksandra Korać
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marina Stanić
- Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Sladjana Z Spasić
- Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia
- Singidunum University, Danijelova 32, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Paul Galland
- Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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Cote-L’Heureux A, Maurer-Alcalá XX, Katz LA. Old genes in new places: A taxon-rich analysis of interdomain lateral gene transfer events. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010239. [PMID: 35731825 PMCID: PMC9255765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertical inheritance is foundational to Darwinian evolution, but fails to explain major innovations such as the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria and the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes. While lateral gene transfer (LGT) is recognized as an evolutionary force in prokaryotes, the role of LGT in eukaryotic evolution is less clear. With the exception of the transfer of genes from organelles to the nucleus, a process termed endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT), the extent of interdomain transfer from prokaryotes to eukaryotes is highly debated. A common critique of studies of interdomain LGT is the reliance on the topology of single-gene trees that attempt to estimate more than one billion years of evolution. We take a more conservative approach by identifying cases in which a single clade of eukaryotes is found in an otherwise prokaryotic gene tree (i.e. exclusive presence). Starting with a taxon-rich dataset of over 13,600 gene families and passing data through several rounds of curation, we identify and categorize the function of 306 interdomain LGT events into diverse eukaryotes, including 189 putative EGTs, 52 LGTs into Opisthokonta (i.e. animals, fungi and their microbial relatives), and 42 LGTs nearly exclusive to anaerobic eukaryotes. To assess differential gene loss as an explanation for exclusive presence, we compare branch lengths within each LGT tree to a set of vertically-inherited genes subsampled to mimic gene loss (i.e. with the same taxonomic sampling) and consistently find shorter relative distance between eukaryotes and prokaryotes in LGT trees, a pattern inconsistent with gene loss. Our methods provide a framework for future studies of interdomain LGT and move the field closer to an understanding of how best to model the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auden Cote-L’Heureux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Laura A. Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Program in Organismic Biology and Evolution, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Naranjo‐Ortiz MA, Gabaldón T. Fungal evolution: cellular, genomic and metabolic complexity. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1198-1232. [PMID: 32301582 PMCID: PMC7539958 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The question of how phenotypic and genomic complexity are inter-related and how they are shaped through evolution is a central question in biology that historically has been approached from the perspective of animals and plants. In recent years, however, fungi have emerged as a promising alternative system to address such questions. Key to their ecological success, fungi present a broad and diverse range of phenotypic traits. Fungal cells can adopt many different shapes, often within a single species, providing them with great adaptive potential. Fungal cellular organizations span from unicellular forms to complex, macroscopic multicellularity, with multiple transitions to higher or lower levels of cellular complexity occurring throughout the evolutionary history of fungi. Similarly, fungal genomes are very diverse in their architecture. Deep changes in genome organization can occur very quickly, and these phenomena are known to mediate rapid adaptations to environmental changes. Finally, the biochemical complexity of fungi is huge, particularly with regard to their secondary metabolites, chemical products that mediate many aspects of fungal biology, including ecological interactions. Herein, we explore how the interplay of these cellular, genomic and metabolic traits mediates the emergence of complex phenotypes, and how this complexity is shaped throughout the evolutionary history of Fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Naranjo‐Ortiz
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyDr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona08003Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyDr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona08003Spain
- Department of Experimental Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003BarcelonaSpain
- ICREAPg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010BarcelonaSpain
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Abstract
In this review, we discuss the current status and future challenges for fully elucidating the fungal tree of life. In the last 15 years, advances in genomic technologies have revolutionized fungal systematics, ushering the field into the phylogenomic era. This has made the unthinkable possible, namely access to the entire genetic record of all known extant taxa. We first review the current status of the fungal tree and highlight areas where additional effort will be required. We then review the analytical challenges imposed by the volume of data and discuss methods to recover the most accurate species tree given the sea of gene trees. Highly resolved and deeply sampled trees are being leveraged in novel ways to study fungal radiations, species delimitation, and metabolic evolution. Finally, we discuss the critical issue of incorporating the unnamed and uncultured dark matter taxa that represent the vast majority of fungal diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Y James
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA;
| | - Chris Todd Hittinger
- Laboratory of Genetics, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, Center for Genomic Science and Innovation, J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA;
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA;
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10
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Magnetoreception in Microorganisms. Trends Microbiol 2019; 28:266-275. [PMID: 31753537 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Magnetoreception is the sense whereby organisms geolocate and navigate in response to the Earth's magnetic field lines. For decades, magnetotactic bacteria have been the only known magnetoreceptive microorganisms. The magnetotactic behaviour of these aquatic prokaryotes is due to the biomineralization of magnetic crystals. While an old report alleged the existence of microbial algae with similar behaviour, recent discoveries have demonstrated the existence of unicellular eukaryotes able to sense the geomagnetic field, and have revealed different mechanisms and strategies involved in such a sensing. Some ciliates can be magnetically guided after predation of magnetotactic bacteria, while some flagellates acquired this sense through symbiosis with magnetic bacteria. A report has even suggested that some magnetotactic protists could biomineralize magnetic crystals.
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