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Rataj M, Zhang T, Vd’ačný P. Nuclear and Mitochondrial SSU rRNA Genes Reveal Hidden Diversity of Haptophrya Endosymbionts in Freshwater Planarians and Challenge Their Traditional Classification in Astomatia. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:830951. [PMID: 35495648 PMCID: PMC9048206 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.830951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Like many other aquatic animals, freshwater planarians have also become partners of symbiotic ciliates from the class Oligohymenophorea. In the present study, we explored the hidden diversity and addressed the questionable systematic position of mouthless obligatory gut endosymbionts of freshwater planarians, using the nuclear and mitochondrial SSU rRNA genes. Although all isolated ciliates morphologically corresponded to a single species, molecular analyses suggested the existence of three genetically distinct entities: Haptophrya planariarum, Haptophrya dugesiarum nov. spec., and Haptophrya schmidtearum nov. spec. The two former species share the same planarian host, which indicates a speciation model involving one duplication event without host switching. Such a diversification pattern was recognized also in astome ciliates inhabiting megascolecid and glossoscolecid earthworms. The present multi-gene phylogenies along with the secondary structure of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA molecule, however, challenge the traditional classification of Haptophrya within the subclass Astomatia. Haptophrya very likely evolved from an orphan scuticociliate lineage by the loss of oral apparatus and by the transformation of the thigmotactic field into an adhesive sucker. Since astomy evolved multiple times independently within the Oligohymenophorea, the loss of cell mouth cannot be used as a sole argument for the assignment of Haptophrya to the Astomatia anymore.
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Zhang T, Shao C, Zhang T, Song W, Vd’ačný P, Al-Farraj SA, Wang Y. Multi-Gene Phylogeny of the Ciliate Genus Trachelostyla (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia), With Integrative Description of Two Species, Trachelostyla multinucleata Spec. nov. and T. pediculiformis (Cohn, 1866). Front Microbiol 2022; 12:775570. [PMID: 35178037 PMCID: PMC8844511 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.775570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many hypotrich genera, including Trachelostyla, are taxonomically challenging and in a need of integrative revision. Using morphological data, molecular phylogenetic analyses, and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) secondary structures, we attempt to cast more light on species relationships within the genus Trachelostyla. The present multifaceted approach reveals that (1) a large-sized species with numerous macronuclear nodules, isolated from sandy littoral sediments in southern China, is new to science and is endowed here with a name, T. multinucleata spec. nov.; (2) two other Chinese populations previously identified as T. pediculiformis represent undescribed species; and (3) multigene phylogeny is more robust than single-gene trees, recovering the monophyly of the genus Trachelostyla with high bootstrap frequency. Additionally, ITS2 secondary structures and the presence of compensatory base changes in helices A and B indicate the presence of four distinct taxa within the molecularly studied members of the genus Trachelostyla. Molecular data are more suitable for delimitation of Trachelostyla species than morphological characters as interspecific pairwise genetic distances of small subunit (18S) rDNA, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, and large subunit (28S) rDNA sequences do not overlap, whereas ranges of multiple morphometric features might transcend species boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengyue Zhang
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Chen Shao
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Tengteng Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Weibo Song
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Peter Vd’ačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Saleh A. Al-Farraj
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yurui Wang
- Laboratory of Protozoological Biodiversity and Evolution in Wetland, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
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Obert T, Rurik I, Vd’ačný P. Diversity and Eco-Evolutionary Associations of Endosymbiotic Astome Ciliates With Their Lumbricid Earthworm Hosts. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:689987. [PMID: 34220782 PMCID: PMC8250849 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.689987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Coevolution of endosymbionts with their hosts plays an important role in the processes of speciation and is among the most fascinating topics in evolutionary biology. Astome ciliates represent an interesting model for coevolutionary studies because they are so tightly associated with their host organisms that they completely lost the cell oral apparatus. In the present study, we used five nuclear markers (18S rRNA gene, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, and 28S rRNA gene) and two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA gene and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) to explore the diversity of astomes inhabiting the digestive tract of lumbricid earthworms at temperate latitudes in Central Europe and to cast more light on their host specificity and coevolution events that shaped their diversification. The present coevolutionary and phylogenetic interaction-adjusted similarity analyses suggested that almost every host switch leads to speciation and firm association with the new host. Nevertheless, the suggested high structural host specificity of astomes needs to be tested with increased earthworm sampling, as only 52 out of 735 lumbricid earthworms (7.07%) were inhabited by ciliates. On the other hand, the diversification of astomes associated with megascolecid and glossoscolecid earthworms might have been driven by duplication events without host switching.
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Bokor B, Soukup M, Vaculík M, Vd’ačný P, Weidinger M, Lichtscheidl I, Vávrová S, Šoltys K, Sonah H, Deshmukh R, Bélanger RR, White PJ, El-Serehy HA, Lux A. Silicon Uptake and Localisation in Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) - A Unique Association With Sclerenchyma. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:988. [PMID: 31456812 PMCID: PMC6701203 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) can accumulate as much as 1% silicon (Si), but not much is known about the mechanisms inherent to this process. Here, we investigated in detail the uptake, accumulation and distribution of Si in date palms, and the phylogeny of Si transporter genes in plants. We characterized the PdNIP2 transporter following heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes and used qPCR to determine the relative expression of Si transporter genes. Silicon accumulation and distribution was investigated by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray microanalysis and Raman microspectroscopy. We proved that PdNIP2-1 codes for a functional Si-permeable protein and demonstrated that PdNIP2 transporter genes were constitutively expressed in date palm. Silicon aggregates/phytoliths were found in specific stegmata cells present in roots, stems and leaves and their surfaces were composed of pure silica. Stegmata were organized on the outer surface of the sclerenchyma bundles or associated with the sclerenchyma of the vascular bundles. Phylogenetic analysis clustered NIP2 transporters of the Arecaceae in a sister position to those of the Poaceae. It is suggested, that Si uptake in date palm is mediated by a constitutively expressed Si influx transporter and accumulated as Si aggregates in stegmata cells abundant in the outer surface of the sclerenchyma bundles (fibers).
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Bokor
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Comenius University Science Park, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Milan Soukup
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marek Vaculík
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Vd’ačný
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marieluise Weidinger
- Core Facility of Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Irene Lichtscheidl
- Core Facility of Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia Vávrová
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Katarína Šoltys
- Comenius University Science Park, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Humira Sonah
- Department of Plant Science, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Rupesh Deshmukh
- Department of Plant Science, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | | | - Philip J. White
- The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, United Kingdom
- Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamed A. El-Serehy
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alexander Lux
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Comenius University Science Park, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Vd’ačný P, Hlúbiková D, Tirjaková E. Spathidium seppelti foissneri nov. subspec., Spathidium simplinucleatum nov. stat., and Dileptus americanus Kahl, 1931, one new and two poorly known soil gymnostome ciliates from soils of Slovakia. Eur J Protistol 2006; 42:175-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2006.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2005] [Revised: 02/09/2006] [Accepted: 02/21/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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