ArticleScience China. Life sciences2026
A secreted alpha-amylase effectively induces reproductive cyst formation both within and across Colpoda species, key soil-dwelling protists.
Article in Science China. Life sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Colpoda are among the most predominant eukaryotic microorganisms in soil ecosystems, playing crucial roles in material and energy cycling within soil and plant rhizosphere environments. Colpoda can form two distinct types of cysts in soil: reproductive cysts and resting cysts. Reproductive cyst represents an essential developmental stage for Colpoda proliferation and environmental adaptation. This study comprehensively characterized the reproductive cyst formation process of Colpoda inflata, identifying carbohydrate-coated granular structures derived from bacterial digestive products as their key morphological feature. C. inflata secretions were found to stimulate reproductive cyst formation effectively. We obtained a high-quality genome assembly of C. inflata and subsequently isolated and characterized three classes of excretory proteins. In vitro experiments demonstrated that an alpha-amylase is sufficient to induce reproductive cyst formation and rapid proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, achieving maximum cell densities 4.6 times higher than those in standard culture conditions. Further investigations revealed that C. inflata alpha-amylase could cross-induce reproductive cyst formation in different Colpoda species, with induction efficiency inversely correlated with phylogenetic distance. Heterologous expression of alpha-amylases from various Colpoda species demonstrated cross-induction capabilities, suggesting interspecies interactions among Colpodas in soil and rhizosphere ecosystems. In summary, this study provides critical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying Colpoda reproductive cyst formation. The identified mechanism enables substantial biomass enhancement of Colpoda populations, allowing for future genetic engineering applications that aim to develop Colpoda-based bioremediation strategies for soil contaminants and microbial interventions in agricultural production systems.
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