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Alimenti C, Buonanno F, Di Giuseppe G, Guella G, Luporini P, Ortenzi C, Vallesi A. Bioactive Molecules from Ciliates: Structure, Activity, and Applicative Potential. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12887. [PMID: 35014102 PMCID: PMC9542385 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ciliates are a rich source of molecules synthesized to socialize, compete ecologically, and interact with prey and predators. Their isolation from laboratory cultures is often straightforward, permitting the study of their mechanisms of action and their assessment for applied research. This review focuses on three classes of these bioactive molecules: (i) water‐borne, cysteine‐rich proteins that are used as signaling pheromones in self/nonself recognition phenomena; (ii) cell membrane‐associated lipophilic terpenoids that are used in interspecies competitions for habitat colonization; (iii) cortical granule‐associated molecules of various chemical nature that primarily serve offence/defense functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Alimenti
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology, School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032, Camerino, (MC), Italy
| | - F Buonanno
- Laboratory of Protistology and Biology Education, Department of Education, Cultural Heritage, and Tourism (ECHT), Università degli Studi di Macerata, 62100, Macerata, Italy
| | - G Di Giuseppe
- Unit of Protistology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; MARinePHARMA Center, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - G Guella
- Bioorganic Chemistry Lab, Department of Physics, University of Trento, 38123, Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - P Luporini
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology, School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032, Camerino, (MC), Italy
| | - C Ortenzi
- Laboratory of Protistology and Biology Education, Department of Education, Cultural Heritage, and Tourism (ECHT), Università degli Studi di Macerata, 62100, Macerata, Italy
| | - A Vallesi
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology, School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032, Camerino, (MC), Italy
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Fernandes NM, Campello-Nunes PH, Paiva TS, Soares CAG, Silva-Neto ID. Ciliate Diversity From Aquatic Environments in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as Revealed by High-Throughput DNA Sequencing. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:630-643. [PMID: 33025060 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01612-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Rainforest aquatic ecosystems include complex habitats with scarce information on their unicellular eukaryote diversity and community structure. We have investigated the diversity of ciliates in freshwater and brackish environments along the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, based on the hypervariable V4 region of the 18S-rDNA obtained by high-throughput DNA sequencing. Our analyses detected 409 ciliate taxonomic units (OTUs), mostly attributed to the classes Oligohymenophorea and Spirotrichea. A total of 11 classes, 12 subclasses, 112 genera, and 144 species were reported. We found the following: (a) the ciliate communities are more diverse in freshwater- than in Atlantic Forest-associated brackish environments; (b) the ciliate communities are composed by a small amount of highly abundant OTUs, but a high number of low-abundant or rare OTUs; (c) nearly one-third of the ciliate OTUs share less than 97% sequence identity to reference sequences and (d) phylogenetic inference supports the hypothesis that the V4 region of the Ciliophora 18S-rDNA is a suitable marker for accurate evolutionary inferences at class level. Our results showed that a considerable fraction of the HTS-detected diversity of ciliates from Brazilian Atlantic Forest is not represented in the currently available molecular databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi M Fernandes
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-617, Brazil.
| | - Pedro H Campello-Nunes
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-617, Brazil
| | - Thiago S Paiva
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-617, Brazil
| | - Carlos A G Soares
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-617, Brazil
| | - Inácio D Silva-Neto
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-617, Brazil
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