A close unicellular animal relative and predator of schistosomes exhibits chemokinesis in response to proteins and peptides from its prey.

ABSTRACT: Regulated motility is vital for many cells-both for unicellular microbes and for cells within multicellular bodies. Different conditions require different rates and directions of movement. For the microbial predator Capsaspora owczarzaki, its motility is likely essential for predation. This organism has been shown to prey on diverse organisms, including the schistosome parasites that co-reside with it in Biomphalaria glabrata snails. Capsaspora is also one of the closest living unicellular relatives of animals. This phylogenic placement makes Capsaspora's motility an attractive target for understanding the evolution of motility in animal cells. Until now, little was known of how Capsaspora regulates its rate and direction of motility. Here we found that it exhibits chemokinesis (increased

SUBMITTER: Quick SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12422584 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature