Ciliate cryptobiosis: a microbial strategy against environmental starvation

Authors

  • Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Sergio Callejas Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Sara Borniquel Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Laura Benítez Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Ana Martín-González Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Keywords:

ciliate encystment, resting cysts, dehydration, cyst wall, gene silencing

Abstract

This review outlines the main features of ciliate resting-cyst formation or encystment. It represents a strategy against several environmental stresses such as starvation), which involves a highly gene-regulated cell di€erentiation process and originates a more resistant, differentiated form or resting cyst. This process is mainly characterized by drastic cytoplasmic dehydration that induces a general metabolic rate decrease, intense autophagic activity, the formation of a permeable cyst wall protecting the cell against the adverse environmental conditions, and a gene-silencing mechanism after opening the specific encystment genes.

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Published

2010-03-12

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2001)

Section

Review Articles

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