Ciliate cryptobiosisa microbial strategy against environmental starvation
- Juan Carlos Gutiérrez 1
- Sergio Callejas 1
- Sara Borniquel 1
- Laura Benítez 1
- Ana Martín González 1
- 1 Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
ISSN: 1618-1905
Year of publication: 2001
Volume: 4
Issue: 3
Pages: 151-157
Type: Article
More publications in: International microbiology: official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology
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.