Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2022 Sep;69(5):e12926. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12926. Epub 2022 Jun 23.
This special issue of the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology (JEM) summarizes achievements obtained by generations of researchers with ciliates in widely different disciplines. In fact, ciliates range among the first cells seen under the microscope centuries ago. Their beauty made them an object of scientia amabilis, and their manifold reactions made them attractive for college experiments and finally challenged causal analyses at the cellular level. Some of this work was honored by a Nobel Prize. Some observations yielded a baseline for additional novel discoveries, occasionally facilitated by specific properties of some ciliates. This also offers some advantages in the exploration of closely related parasites (malaria). Articles contributed here by colleagues from all over the world encompass a broad spectrum of ciliate life, from genetics to evolution, from molecular cell biology to ecology, from intercellular signaling to epigenetics, etc. This introductory chapter, largely based on my personal perception, aims at integrating work presented in this special issue of JEM into a broader historical context up to current research.
本期《真核微生物学杂志》（JEM）特刊总结了几代研究人员在广泛的不同学科领域中用纤毛虫取得的成就。事实上，纤毛虫是几个世纪前在显微镜下最早看到的细胞之一。它们的美丽使它们成为了科学之美的对象，而它们多样的反应则使它们成为了大学生实验的对象，最终挑战了细胞水平上的因果分析。其中一些工作获得了诺贝尔奖的荣誉。一些观察结果为其他新发现奠定了基础，偶尔也得益于某些纤毛虫的特殊性质。这在探索密切相关的寄生虫（疟疾）方面也提供了一些优势。本文由来自世界各地的同事撰写，涵盖了纤毛虫生命的广泛领域，从遗传学、进化学到分子细胞生物学、生态学、细胞间信号传递到表观遗传学等。这篇引言主要基于我个人的看法，旨在将本期 JEM 特刊中的工作纳入到更广泛的历史背景中，直至当前的研究。
