Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology, School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy.
Laboratory of Protistology and Biology Education, Department of Education, Cultural Heritage, and Tourism (ECHT), Università degli Studi di Macerata, Macerata, Italy.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2022 Sep;69(5):e12887. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12887. Epub 2022 Jan 28.
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.
纤毛虫是合成分子的丰富来源，这些分子用于社交、进行生态竞争以及与猎物和捕食者相互作用。从实验室培养物中分离它们通常很简单，这使得研究它们的作用机制及其在应用研究中的评估成为可能。这篇综述集中讨论了这三种生物活性分子：（i）水溶性、富含半胱氨酸的蛋白质，用作自我/非我识别现象中的信号信息素；（ii）细胞膜相关的亲脂性萜类化合物，用于物种间对生境定殖的竞争；（iii）各种化学性质的皮质颗粒相关分子，主要起进攻/防御作用。
