Corbin J. Schuster, Katrina N. Murray, Justin L. Sanders, Claire E. Couch, Michael L. Kent
{"title":"Review of Pseudoloma neurophilia (Microsporidia): A common neural parasite of laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio)","authors":"Corbin J. Schuster, Katrina N. Murray, Justin L. Sanders, Claire E. Couch, Michael L. Kent","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13040","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13040","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) is now the second most used animal model in biomedical research. As with other vertebrate models, underlying diseases and infections often impact research. Beyond mortality and morbidity, these conditions can compromise research end points by producing nonprotocol induced variation within experiments. <i>Pseudoloma neurophilia</i>, a microsporidium that targets the central nervous system, is the most frequently diagnosed pathogen in zebrafish facilities. The parasite undergoes direct, horizontal transmission within populations, and is also maternally transmitted with spores in ovarian fluid and occasionally within eggs. This transmission explains the wide distribution among research laboratories as new lines are generally introduced as embryos. The infection is chronic, and fish apparently never recover following the initial infection. However, most fish do not exhibit outward clinical signs. Histologically, the parasite occurs as aggregates of spores throughout the midbrain and spinal cord and extends to nerve roots. It often elicits meninxitis, myositis, and myodegeneration when it infects the muscle. There are currently no described therapies for the parasite, thus the infection is best avoided by screening with PCR-based tests and removal of infected fish from a facility. Examples of research impacts include reduced fecundity, behavioral changes, transcriptome alterations, and autofluorescent lesions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141498208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernando Gómez, Antera Martel Quintana, Eduvigis Rodríguez Coello, Eugenio Raymond, Rafael Salas, Jillian F. McClimon, Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti
{"title":"Prorocentrum canariense sp. nov., a case of pseudo-cryptic speciation in the cosmopolitan dinoflagellate P. compressum (Prorocentrales, Dinophyceae)","authors":"Fernando Gómez, Antera Martel Quintana, Eduvigis Rodríguez Coello, Eugenio Raymond, Rafael Salas, Jillian F. McClimon, Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13039","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13039","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The planktonic dinoflagellate <i>Prorocentrum compressum</i> is widespread in warm and temperate seas. A strain identified as <i>P</i>. cf. <i>compressum</i> BEA 0681B isolated from the island of Gran Canaria, NE Atlantic Ocean, showed a divergence in rDNA/ITS phylogenies with respect to <i>P</i>. <i>compressum</i>. The Canarian strain was oval, with an average length-to-width ratio of 1.35, smooth thecal surface with less than 150 thecal pores, including oblique pores, sometimes with a bifurcated opening. In contrast, <i>P</i>. <i>compressum</i> was rounder, with a length-to-width ratio < 1.2, with reticulate-foveate ornamentation and 200–300 pores per valve. We propose <i>Prorocentrum canariense</i> sp. nov. These species clustered as the most early-branching lineage in the clade <i>Prorocentrum</i> sensu stricto. Although this clade mainly contains planktonic species, the closer relatives were the benthic species <i>P</i>. <i>tsawwassenense</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>elegans</i>. Interestingly, <i>P</i>. <i>compressum</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>canariense</i> sp. nov. are widely distributed in temperate and warm seas without an apparent morphological adaptation to planktonic life. The formation of two concentric hyaline mucilaginous walls could contribute to this success. We discuss the use of <i>Prorocentrum bidens</i> to solve the nomenclature issue of <i>P</i>. <i>compressum</i> that was described citing a diatom as basionym.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141492218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Baptiste Genot, Margaret Grogan, Matthew Yost, Gabriella Iacono, Stephen D. Archer, John A. Burns
{"title":"Functional stress responses in Glaucophyta: Evidence of ethylene and abscisic acid functions in Cyanophora paradoxa","authors":"Baptiste Genot, Margaret Grogan, Matthew Yost, Gabriella Iacono, Stephen D. Archer, John A. Burns","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13041","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13041","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Glaucophytes, an enigmatic group of freshwater algae, occupy a pivotal position within the Archaeplastida, providing insights into the early evolutionary history of plastids and their host cells. These algae possess unique plastids, known as cyanelles that retain certain ancestral features, enabling a better understanding of the plastid transition from cyanobacteria. In this study, we investigated the role of ethylene, a potent hormone used by land plants to coordinate stress responses, in the glaucophyte alga <i>Cyanophora paradoxa</i>. We demonstrate that <i>C. paradoxa</i> produces gaseous ethylene when supplied with exogenous 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), the ethylene precursor in land plants. In addition, we show that cells produce ethylene natively in response to abiotic stress, and that another plant hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), interferes with ethylene synthesis from exogenously supplied ACC, while positively regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. ROS synthesis also occurred following abiotic stress and ACC treatment, possibly acting as a second messenger in stress responses. A physiological response of <i>C. paradoxa</i> to ACC treatment is growth inhibition. Using transcriptomics, we reveal that ACC treatment induces the upregulation of senescence-associated proteases, consistent with the observation of growth inhibition. This is the first report of hormone usage in a glaucophyte alga, extending our understanding of hormone-mediated stress response coordination into the Glaucophyta, with implications for the evolution of signaling modalities across Archaeplastida.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jeu.13041","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141476676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Past-President address: My journey in microbial ecology—footprints in the sand, island hopping, supply chains, and technology bridges","authors":"Gaytha A. Langlois","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13037","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13037","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper highlights and honors the connectivity among protistan researchers, using my own research journey as a backdrop, with attention to the supply chain of ideas, supporters, and other influencers who helped to shape and guide my career by sharing their ideas, protocols, skills, and enthusiasm. In looking back at the journey, the supply chain in my career has also included changes in the conceptual framework for my research studies, converging with a continuous flow of ideas and support from colleagues and mentors. To illustrate the complex map of ideas and supporters, this paper will examine technological advances, paradigm shifts in ecological constructs, geographical considerations, breakthroughs in peritrich biology, and the importance of an integrated perspective as we navigate the changing realities of today's scientific challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141468501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Letter from the Editor","authors":"Roberto Docampo","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13042","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13042","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141468500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eric Peyretaillade, Reginal F. Akossi, Jérémy Tournayre, Frédéric Delbac, Ivan Wawrzyniak
{"title":"How to overcome constraints imposed by microsporidian genome features to ensure gene prediction?","authors":"Eric Peyretaillade, Reginal F. Akossi, Jérémy Tournayre, Frédéric Delbac, Ivan Wawrzyniak","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13038","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13038","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Since the advent of sequencing techniques and due to their continuous evolution, it has become easier and less expensive to obtain the complete genome sequence of any organism. Nevertheless, to elucidate all biological processes governing organism development, quality annotation is essential. In genome annotation, predicting gene structure is one of the most important and captivating challenges for computational biology. This aspect of annotation requires continual optimization, particularly for genomes as unusual as those of microsporidia. Indeed, this group of fungal-related parasites exhibits specific features (highly reduced gene sizes, sequences with high rate of evolution) linked to their evolution as intracellular parasites, requiring the implementation of specific annotation approaches to consider all these features. This review aimed to outline these characteristics and to assess the increasingly efficient approaches and tools that have enhanced the accuracy of gene prediction for microsporidia, both in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Subsequently, a final part will be dedicated to postgenomic approaches aimed at reinforcing the annotation data generated by prediction software. These approaches include the characterization of other understudied genes, such as those encoding regulatory noncoding RNAs or very small proteins, which also play crucial roles in the life cycle of these microorganisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141457348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vittorio Boscaro, Erick R. James, Rebecca Fiorito, Javier del Campo, Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Patrick J. Keeling
{"title":"Updated classification of the phylum Parabasalia","authors":"Vittorio Boscaro, Erick R. James, Rebecca Fiorito, Javier del Campo, Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Patrick J. Keeling","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13035","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13035","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The phylum Parabasalia includes very diverse single-cell organisms that nevertheless share a distinctive set of morphological traits. Most are harmless or beneficial gut symbionts of animals, but some have turned into parasites in other body compartments, the most notorious example being <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in humans. Parabasalians have garnered attention for their nutritional symbioses with termites, their modified anaerobic mitochondria (hydrogenosomes), their character evolution, and the wholly unique features of some species. The molecular revolution confirmed the monophyly of Parabasalia, but considerably changed our view of their internal relationships, prompting a comprehensive reclassification 14 years ago. This classification has remained authoritative for many subgroups despite a greatly expanded pool of available data, but the large number of species and sequences that have since come out allow for taxonomic refinements in certain lineages, which we undertake here. We aimed to introduce as little disruption as possible but at the same time ensure that most taxa are truly monophyletic, and that the larger clades are subdivided into meaningful units. In doing so, we also highlighted correlations between the phylogeny of parabasalians and that of their hosts.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jeu.13035","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141198981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ondřej Pomahač, Daniel Méndez-Sánchez, Ivan Čepička
{"title":"Bit by bit toward the diversity of metopids: Description of the genus Pidimetopus n. gen. (Ciliophora: Armophorea)","authors":"Ondřej Pomahač, Daniel Méndez-Sánchez, Ivan Čepička","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13034","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13034","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While metopids (Armophorea: Metopida) represent the most species-rich group of free-living anaerobic ciliates thriving in hypoxic environments, our understanding of their true diversity remains incomplete. Most metopid species are still characterized only morphologically. Particularly, the so-called IAC clade (named in the past after some of the taxa included, <i>Idiometopus</i>, <i>Atopospira</i>, and Clevelandellida), comprising free-living members as well as the endosymbiotic ones (order Clevelandellida), is in serious need of revision. In our study, we establish a new free-living genus in the IAC clade, <i>Pidimetopus</i> n. gen., with descriptions of two new species, <i>P. nanus</i> n. sp., and <i>P. permonicus</i> n. sp., using up-to-date molecular and morphologic methods. The genus is characterized by small cells (up to 75 μm long), not more than 10 adoral membranelles and eight somatic kineties, and usually, four long caudal cilia that can stiffen. In addition to morphologic and molecular characterizations, we also conducted a statistical morphotype analysis of the polymorphic species <i>P. nanus</i> n. sp. We discuss the relevance of the earlier morphologically described species <i>Metopus minor</i> as a putative collective taxon for several small metopids less than 50 μm long.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141186711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genome evolution in intracellular parasites: Microsporidia and Apicomplexa","authors":"Amjad Khalaf, Ore Francis, Mark L. Blaxter","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13033","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13033","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microsporidia and Apicomplexa are eukaryotic, single-celled, intracellular parasites with huge public health and economic importance. Typically, these parasites are studied separately, emphasizing their uniqueness and diversity. In this review, we explore the huge amount of genomic data that has recently become available for the two groups. We compare and contrast their genome evolution and discuss how their transitions to intracellular life may have shaped it. In particular, we explore genome reduction and compaction, genome expansion and ploidy, gene shuffling and rearrangements, and the evolution of centromeres and telomeres.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jeu.13033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141087255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kana Sakoshita, Shotaro Aratani, Nana Kameda, Ryo Takebe, Takashi Tominaga, Masaki Ishida, Manabu Hori
{"title":"Anoctamin-like protein 1 regulates repolarization in Paramecium behavioral responses","authors":"Kana Sakoshita, Shotaro Aratani, Nana Kameda, Ryo Takebe, Takashi Tominaga, Masaki Ishida, Manabu Hori","doi":"10.1111/jeu.13030","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jeu.13030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Paramecium</i> exhibits responsive behavior to environmental changes, moving either closer to or further away from stimuli. Electrophysiological experiments have revealed that these behavioral responses are controlled by membrane potentials. Anoctamin, a Ca<sup>2+</sup>-activated Cl<sup>−</sup> channel, is involved in the regulation of membrane potential in mammals. However, it remains uncertain whether Cl<sup>−</sup> channels like anoctamin regulate <i>Paramecium</i> behavior. Herein, replacement of external Cl<sup>−</sup> ions with acetate ion and application of Cl<sup>−</sup> channel blocker niflumic acid (NFA, 0.1 μM) increased spontaneous avoiding reactions (sARs). Hence, we hypothesized that anoctamin is involved in the stabilization of membrane potential fluctuation. <i>Paramecium</i> cells in which the anoctamin-like protein 1 gene was knocked down displayed frequent sARs in the culture medium without external stimulation. Treatment of anoctamin-like protein 1-knockdown cells with the Ca<sup>2+</sup> chelator BAPTA or Ca-channel blocker nicardipine reversed the increase in sARs. Electrophysiological experiments revealed extension of membrane depolarization when positive currents were applied to anoctamin-like protein 1-knockdown cells. We concluded that anoctamin-like protein 1 works as a Cl-channel and stabilizes the membrane potential oscillation, reducing sARs.</p>","PeriodicalId":15672,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology","volume":"71 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140957882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}