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Ye T, Song W, Li Y, Al-Rasheid KAS, Serra V, Ma M. Morphology and phylogeny of four trachelocercid ciliates (Ciliophora, Karyorelictea, Trachelocercidae) from North China Sea, with description of a new species. Eur J Protistol 2023; 91:126025. [PMID: 37890439 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2023.126025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Trachelocercids are common ciliates in marine sandy intertidal zones, however, only few species have been described using modern taxonomic techniques, with several earlier descriptions still lacking primary data, such as a detailed description of the oral ciliature. For this reason, systematics of the family Trachelocercidae Kent, 1881 resulted in paraphyletic genera and needs a critical revision. As an attempt to fill the gap of knowledge for this group, this study presents one new species description, Tracheloraphis apodiscolor n. sp., along with redescriptions of three lesser-known trachelocercid species, Trachelocerca bodiani (Dragesco, 1963) Dragesco, 2002, Trachelocerca ditis (Wright, 1982) Foissner & Dragesco, 1996 and Prototrachelocerca fasciolata (Sauerbrey, 1928) Foissner, 1996, collected from coastal marine habitats at Qingdao (China), using live and protargol-stained specimens. Tracheloraphis apodiscolor n. sp. can be distinguished from its closest related congener, T. discolor, by a shorter body length and fewer somatic kineties. Molecular data of T. apodiscolor n. sp. and T. bodiani were provided for the first time. Additionally, based on the Qingdao populations, we provide improved diagnoses for T. ditis and P. fasciolata. Phylogenetic analyses were performed and discussed, as there is strong support for paraphyly of the genera Tracheloraphis and Trachelocerca. In general, more integrative studies based on taxonomy, ultrastructure as well as molecular data are needed to properly shed light on the systematics of trachelocercids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Ye
- Laboratory of Marine Protozoan Biodiversity & Evolution, Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
| | - Wen Song
- Laboratory of Marine Protozoan Biodiversity & Evolution, Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
| | - Yuqing Li
- Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | | | | | - Mingzhen Ma
- Laboratory of Marine Protozoan Biodiversity & Evolution, Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China; Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
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Manassero V, Vannini C. Protists' microbiome: A fine-scale, snap-shot field study on the ciliate Euplotes. Eur J Protistol 2023; 87:125952. [PMID: 36610375 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2022.125952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Host-microbiome relationships play a fundamental role in the evolution and ecology of any living being. As unicellular organisms, protists represent a unique eukaryotic model to investigate selection mechanisms of the prokaryotic microbiome at the cellular level. Field investigations are central to disentangle relative importance of selective drivers in nature. Here we performed an analysis on data from a snap-shot field study reported previously on bacterial microbiomes associated to natural populations of protist ciliates of the genus Euplotes to detect at a fine scale any influence of habitat and/or host identity in microbiome selection. Comparative analyses revealed environment at a relatively large scale (sampling area) as the main driving factor in shaping prokaryotic communities' structures. No evidence of habitat as key-factor emerged when a smaller spatial scale was considered (pond/channel or site). When only microbiomes of ciliates from the same site were compared, a clear assessment on the influence of host identity at the species level was not achieved, probably due to the small and unbalanced number of individuals for the two considered host species. Starting from this point, wider sampling campaigns will contribute in the future to depict a general view of the drivers influencing the prokaryotic microbiomes of natural protist populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Vannini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
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Lian C, Wang Y, Jiang J, Yuan Q, Al-Farraj SA, El-Serehy HA, Song W, Stoeck T, Shao C. Systematic positions and taxonomy of two new ciliates found in China: Euplotes tuffraui sp. nov. and E. shii sp. nov. (Alveolata, Ciliophora, Euplotida). SYST BIODIVERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2020.1865472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Lian
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, and College of Fisheries, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
- Department of Ecology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Yurui Wang
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China
| | - Jiamei Jiang
- Shanghai Universities Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Taxonomy and Evolution, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Qingxiang Yuan
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, and College of Fisheries, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Saleh A. Al-Farraj
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamed A. El-Serehy
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Weibo Song
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, and College of Fisheries, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Thorsten Stoeck
- Department of Ecology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Chen Shao
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China
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Serra V, Gammuto L, Nitla V, Castelli M, Lanzoni O, Sassera D, Bandi C, Sandeep BV, Verni F, Modeo L, Petroni G. Morphology, ultrastructure, genomics, and phylogeny of Euplotes vanleeuwenhoeki sp. nov. and its ultra-reduced endosymbiont "Candidatus Pinguicoccus supinus" sp. nov. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20311. [PMID: 33219271 PMCID: PMC7679464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76348-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomy is the science of defining and naming groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics and, more recently, on evolutionary relationships. With the birth of novel genomics/bioinformatics techniques and the increasing interest in microbiome studies, a further advance of taxonomic discipline appears not only possible but highly desirable. The present work proposes a new approach to modern taxonomy, consisting in the inclusion of novel descriptors in the organism characterization: (1) the presence of associated microorganisms (e.g.: symbionts, microbiome), (2) the mitochondrial genome of the host, (3) the symbiont genome. This approach aims to provide a deeper comprehension of the evolutionary/ecological dimensions of organisms since their very first description. Particularly interesting, are those complexes formed by the host plus associated microorganisms, that in the present study we refer to as "holobionts". We illustrate this approach through the description of the ciliate Euplotes vanleeuwenhoeki sp. nov. and its bacterial endosymbiont "Candidatus Pinguicoccus supinus" gen. nov., sp. nov. The endosymbiont possesses an extremely reduced genome (~ 163 kbp); intriguingly, this suggests a high integration between host and symbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Serra
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leandro Gammuto
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Venkatamahesh Nitla
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michele Castelli
- Department of Biosciences, Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Pediatric Research Center, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Pavia University, Pavia, Italy
| | - Olivia Lanzoni
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Sassera
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Pavia University, Pavia, Italy
| | - Claudio Bandi
- Department of Biosciences, Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Pediatric Research Center, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Franco Verni
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Letizia Modeo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
- CIME, Centro Interdipartimentale di Microscopia Elettronica, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- CISUP, Centro per l'Integrazione della Strumentazione dell'Università di Pisa, Pisa, India.
| | - Giulio Petroni
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4/6, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
- CIME, Centro Interdipartimentale di Microscopia Elettronica, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- CISUP, Centro per l'Integrazione della Strumentazione dell'Università di Pisa, Pisa, India.
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Méndez-Sánchez D, Mayén-Estrada R, Hu X. Euplotes octocarinatus Carter, 1972 (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea, Euplotidae): Considerations on its morphology, phylogeny, and biogeography. Eur J Protistol 2020; 74:125667. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2019.125667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Boscaro V, Husnik F, Vannini C, Keeling PJ. Symbionts of the ciliate Euplotes: diversity, patterns and potential as models for bacteria-eukaryote endosymbioses. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190693. [PMID: 31311477 PMCID: PMC6661354 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Endosymbioses between bacteria and eukaryotes are enormously important in ecology and evolution, and as such are intensely studied. Despite this, the range of investigated hosts is narrow in the context of the whole eukaryotic tree of life: most of the information pertains to animal hosts, while most of the diversity is found in unicellular protists. A prominent case study is the ciliate Euplotes, which has repeatedly taken up the bacterium Polynucleobacter from the environment, triggering its transformation into obligate endosymbiont. This multiple origin makes the relationship an excellent model to understand recent symbioses, but Euplotes may host bacteria other than Polynucleobacter, and a more detailed knowledge of these additional interactions is needed in order to correctly interpret the system. Here, we present the first systematic survey of Euplotes endosymbionts, adopting a classical as well as a metagenomic approach, and review the state of knowledge. The emerging picture is indeed quite complex, with some Euplotes harbouring rich, stable prokaryotic communities not unlike those of multicellular animals. We provide insights into the distribution, evolution and diversity of these symbionts (including the establishment of six novel bacterial taxa), and outline differences and similarities with the most well-understood group of eukaryotic hosts: insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Boscaro
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Filip Husnik
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Patrick J. Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
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Lian C, Zhang T, Al-Rasheid KA, Yu Y, Jiang J, Huang J. Morphology and SSU rDNA-based phylogeny of two Euplotes species from China: E. wuhanensis sp. n. and E. muscicola Kahl, 1932 (Ciliophora, Euplotida). Eur J Protistol 2019; 67:1-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Jiang Y, Zhang T, Vallesi A, Yang X, Gao F. Time-course analysis of nuclear events during conjugation in the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus and comparison with other ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora). Cell Cycle 2019; 18:288-298. [PMID: 30563432 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2018.1558871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ciliates represent a morphologically and genetically distinct group of single-celled eukaryotes that segregate germline and somatic functions into two types of nuclei and exhibit complex cytogenetic events during the sexual process of conjugation, which is under the control of the so-called "mating type systems". Studying conjugation in ciliates may provide insight into our understanding of the origins and evolution of sex and fertilization. In the present work, we studied in detail the sexual process of conjugation using the model species Euplotes vannus, and compared these nuclear events with those occurring in other ciliates. Our results indicate that in E. vannus: 1) conjugation requires about 75 hours to complete: the longest step is the development of the new macronucleus (ca. 64h), followed by the nuclear division of meiosis I (5h); the mitotic divisions usually take only 2h; 2) there are three prezygotic divisions (mitosis and meiosis I and II), and two of the eight resulting nuclei become pronuclei; 3) after the exchange and fusion of the pronuclei, two postzygotic divisions occur; two of the four products differentiate into the new micronucleus and macronucleus, respectively, and the parental macronucleus degenerates completely; 4) comparison of the nuclear events during conjugation in different ciliates reveals that there are generally three prezygotic divisions while the number of postzygotic divisions is highly variable. These results can serve as reference to investigate the mating type system operating in this species and to analyze genes involved in the different steps of the sexual process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaohan Jiang
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
| | - Tengteng Zhang
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
| | - Adriana Vallesi
- c Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology , University of Camerino , Camerino , Italy
| | - Xianyu Yang
- d College of Animal Science and Technology , Zhejiang A&F University , Hangzhou , China
| | - Feng Gao
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
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Boscaro V, Syberg-Olsen MJ, Irwin NAT, del Campo J, Keeling PJ. What Can Environmental Sequences Tell Us About the Distribution of Low-Rank Taxa? The Case of Euplotes
(Ciliophora, Spirotrichea), Including a Description of Euplotes enigma
sp. nov. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2018; 66:281-293. [DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Boscaro
- Department of Botany; University of British Columbia; 3529-6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T1Z4 Canada
| | - Mitchell J. Syberg-Olsen
- Department of Botany; University of British Columbia; 3529-6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T1Z4 Canada
| | - Nicholas A. T. Irwin
- Department of Botany; University of British Columbia; 3529-6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T1Z4 Canada
| | - Javier del Campo
- Department of Botany; University of British Columbia; 3529-6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T1Z4 Canada
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography; Institut de Ciències del Mar - CSIC; Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49 08003 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| | - Patrick J. Keeling
- Department of Botany; University of British Columbia; 3529-6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T1Z4 Canada
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