TY - JOUR

T1 - Rhodotorula mucilaginosa: a new potential human pathogen found in the ciliate Paramecium bursaria

AU - Сабанеева, Елена Валентиновна

AU - Курсачёва, Екатерина Сергеевна

AU - Визичканич, Галина Николаевна

AU - Лебедев, Дмитрий Антонович

AU - Лебедева, Наталья Аркадьевна

PY - 2025/5

Y1 - 2025/5

N2 - Ciliates often form symbiotic associations with other microorganisms, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic. We are now starting to rediscover the symbiotic systems recorded before molecular analysis became available. Here, we provide a morphological and molecular characterization of a symbiotic association between the ciliate Paramecium tritobursaria and the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (syn. Rhodotorula rubra) isolated from a natural population. This symbiotic system demonstrates certain similarities with the symbiotic system formed by P. bursaria and its conventional endosymbionts, the zoochlorellae. Experimental infections of the endosymbiont-free P. tritobursaria and Paramecium deuterobursaria cell lines with R. mucilaginosa demonstrated that the yeast infectivity is concentration-dependent, with ciliates digesting part of the yeast cells. The endosymbiotic yeast may serve as a food reserve, providing starvation stress tolerance to the host. Since R. mucilaginosa is currently regarded as a pathogen causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised humans, our finding gives further support to the vision that ciliates can harbor potential human pathogens and can be a vector for their dissemination.

AB - Ciliates often form symbiotic associations with other microorganisms, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic. We are now starting to rediscover the symbiotic systems recorded before molecular analysis became available. Here, we provide a morphological and molecular characterization of a symbiotic association between the ciliate Paramecium tritobursaria and the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (syn. Rhodotorula rubra) isolated from a natural population. This symbiotic system demonstrates certain similarities with the symbiotic system formed by P. bursaria and its conventional endosymbionts, the zoochlorellae. Experimental infections of the endosymbiont-free P. tritobursaria and Paramecium deuterobursaria cell lines with R. mucilaginosa demonstrated that the yeast infectivity is concentration-dependent, with ciliates digesting part of the yeast cells. The endosymbiotic yeast may serve as a food reserve, providing starvation stress tolerance to the host. Since R. mucilaginosa is currently regarded as a pathogen causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised humans, our finding gives further support to the vision that ciliates can harbor potential human pathogens and can be a vector for their dissemination.

KW - Endosymbiosis

KW - ciliate

KW - Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (R. rubra)

KW - opportunistic pathogen

KW - cryptic species complex

KW - Cryptic species complex

KW - Ciliate

KW - Opportunistic pathogen

KW - Symbiosis

KW - Paramecium/microbiology

KW - Humans

KW - Rhodotorula/pathogenicity

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/24320068-fcb9-3ee3-a2ea-72785c9d5dbd/

UR - https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=81290128

U2 - 10.1007/s00709-024-02025-x

DO - 10.1007/s00709-024-02025-x

M3 - Article

C2 - 39745522

VL - 262

SP - 595

EP - 607

JO - Protoplasma

JF - Protoplasma

SN - 0033-183X

IS - 3

ER -