Ciliate cryptobiosis: a microbial strategy against environmental starvation
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Juan Carlos Gutiérrez [1] ; Sergio Callejas [1] ; Sara Borniquel [1] ; Laura Benítez [1] ; Ana Martín-González [1]
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[1] Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Madrid, España
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- Localización: International microbiology: official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology, ISSN 1139-6709, Vol. 4, Nº. 3, 2001, págs. 151-157
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
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.
