Giants' cooperation: a draft genome of the giant ciliate suggests its ecological role in the capybara's digestive metabolism.

Several hundred ciliate species live in animals' guts as a part of their microbiome. Among them, (Trichostomatia, Pycnotrichidae), the largest described ciliate, is found exclusively associated with (capybara), the largest known rodent reaching up to 90 kg. Here, we present the sequence, structural and functional annotation of this giant microeukaryote macronuclear genome and discuss its phylogenetic placement.

In silico characterization of cysteine-stabilized αβ defensins from neglected unicellular microeukaryotes.

Background: The emergence of multi-resistant pathogens have increased dramatically in recent years, becoming a major public-health concern. Among other promising antimicrobial molecules with potential to assist in this worldwide struggle, cysteine-stabilized αβ (CS-αβ) defensins are attracting attention due their efficacy, stability, and broad spectrum against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protists, including many known human pathogens.

Results: Here, 23 genomes of ciliated protists were screened and two CS-αβ defensins with a likely antifungal activity were identified and characterized, using bioinformatics, from a culturable freshwater species, Laurentiella sp.

Toxicological impacts and likely protein targets of bisphenol a in Paramecium caudatum.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used plasticizer agent and a well-known ubiquitous endocrine disruptor, which is frequently associated with a series of reproductive, developmental, and transgenerational effects over wildlife, livestocks, and humans. Although extensive toxicological data is available for metazoans, the impact of BPA over unicellular eukaryotes, which represents a considerable proportion of eukaryotic diversity, remains largely overlooked. Here, we used acute end-point toxicological assay and an inverted virtual-screening (IVS) approach to evaluate cellular impairments infringed by BPA over the cosmopolitan ciliated protist, Paramecium caudatum.

Poly (Ether-Ether-Ketone) for Biomedical Applications: From Enhancing Bioactivity to Reinforced-Bioactive Composites-An Overview.

The global orthopedic market is forecasted to reach US$79.5 billion by the end of this decade. Factors driving the increase in this market are population aging, sports injury, road traffic accidents, and overweight, which justify a growing demand for orthopedic implants.

Insights into the systematics of the family Ophryoscolecidae (Ciliophora, Entodiniomorphida).

The family Ophryoscolecidae currently comprises 225 species of trichostomatid ciliates, subdivided into three subfamilies (Entodiniinae, Diplodiniinae, and Ophryoscolecinae). The last taxonomic review of the family was performed 55 years ago, but recent morphological and molecular studies indicate the need for a profound review of the systematics of this taxon, since its current taxonomy is insufficient to organize the diversity of the group. Here, we briefly review the systematics of the family Ophryoscolecidae based on information recovered from the literature and new morphological and molecular data.