A self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit optimizes <i>Podophrya collini</i> predatory trap structure.

ABSTRACT: Cellular structure self-organizes through an interplay between internal mechanisms and external cues. In predatory ciliates, structures that capture prey obtain the resources needed for their construction, creating feedback between environmental inputs and morphological outputs. Here, we describe a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that adaptively optimizes the predatory trap structure of the suctorian Podophrya collini. These trap structures ensnare large cellular targets using an array of straw-like tentacles that siphon out prey cytoplasm upon contact with their tips. We find that trap architecture scales anisotropically, favoring tentacle number over length, to construct traps that maximize capture probability for the resources on hand. Drug perturbations, transcrip

SUBMITTER: Xu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642228 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature