{{Short description|Single-celled eukaryote genus}} {{Speciesbox | image = Capsaspora_owczarzaki.jpeg | grandparent_authority = Cavalier-Smith, 2008<ref name=":1"/> | genus = Capsaspora | parent_authority = Hertel, Bayne & Loker 2002<ref name="Hertel">{{citation | doi = 10.1016/S0020-7519(02)00066-8 | title = The symbiont ''Capsaspora owczarzaki'', nov. gen. nov. sp., isolated from three strains of the pulmonate snail ''Biomphalaria glabrata'' is related to members of the Mesomycetozoea | date = August 2002 |author1=Hertel L. A. |author2=Bayne C. J. |author3=Loker, E. S. | journal = International Journal for Parasitology | volume = 32 | pages = 1183–91 | pmid = 12117501 | issue = 9 }}</ref> | species = owczarzaki | authority = Hertel, Bayne & Loker 2002 }}
'''''Capsaspora''''' is a monotypic genus of protists containing the single species '''''Capsaspora owczarzaki.''' C. owczarzaki'' is a single-celled eukaryote that occupies a key phylogenetic position in our understanding of the origin of animal multicellularity, as one of the closest unicellular relatives to animals. It is, together with ''Ministeria vibrans'', a member of the Filasterea clade. This amoeboid protist has been pivotal to unraveling the nature of the unicellular ancestor of animals, which has been proved to be much more complex than previously thought.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Suga|first1=Hiroshi|last2=Chen|first2=Zehua|last3=Mendoza|first3=Alex de|last4=Sebé-Pedrós|first4=Arnau|last5=Brown|first5=Matthew W.|last6=Kramer|first6=Eric|last7=Carr|first7=Martin|last8=Kerner|first8=Pierre|last9=Vervoort|first9=Michel|date=2013-08-14|title=The Capsaspora genome reveals a complex unicellular prehistory of animals|journal=Nature Communications|language=en|volume=4|page=2325|doi=10.1038/ncomms3325|issn=2041-1723|pmc=3753549|pmid=23942320|bibcode=2013NatCo...4.2325S}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sebé-Pedrós|first1=Arnau|last2=Ballaré|first2=Cecilia|last3=Parra-Acero|first3=Helena|last4=Chiva|first4=Cristina|last5=Tena|first5=Juan J.|last6=Sabidó|first6=Eduard|last7=Gómez-Skarmeta|first7=José Luis|last8=Croce|first8=Luciano Di|last9=Ruiz-Trillo|first9=Iñaki|title=The Dynamic Regulatory Genome of Capsaspora and the Origin of Animal Multicellularity|journal=Cell|volume=165|issue=5|pages=1224–1237|doi=10.1016/j.cell.2016.03.034|pmc=4877666|pmid=27114036|year=2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sebé-Pedrós|first1=Arnau|last2=Peña|first2=Marcia Ivonne|last3=Capella-Gutiérrez|first3=Salvador|last4=Antó|first4=Meritxell|last5=Gabaldón|first5=Toni|last6=Ruiz-Trillo|first6=Iñaki|last7=Sabidó|first7=Eduard|title=High-Throughput Proteomics Reveals the Unicellular Roots of Animal Phosphosignaling and Cell Differentiation|journal=Developmental Cell|volume=39|issue=2|pages=186–197|doi=10.1016/j.devcel.2016.09.019|pmid=27746046|year=2016|doi-access=free|hdl=10230/32237|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
==Description== ''C. owczarzaki'' was originally described as an amoeba-like "symbiont" of the fresh-water snail ''Biomphalaria glabrata''.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal | last1 = Stibbs | first1 = H. H. | last2 = Owczarzak | first2 = A. | last3 = Bayne | first3 = C. J. | last4 = DeWan | first4 = P. | year = 1979 | title = Schistosome sporocyst-killing Amoebae isolated from Biomphalaria glabrata | journal = Journal of Invertebrate Pathology | volume = 33 | issue = 2| pages = 159–170 | doi=10.1016/0022-2011(79)90149-6| pmid = 501126 }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite journal | last1 = Owczarzak | first1 = A. | last2 = Stibbs | first2 = H. H. | last3 = Bayne | first3 = C. J. | year = 1980 | title = The destruction of Schistosoma mansonimother sporocysts in vitro by amoebae isolated fromBiomphalaria glabrata: an ultrastructural study | journal = J Invertebr Pathol | volume = 35 | issue = 1| pages = 26–33 | doi = 10.1016/0022-2011(80)90079-8 | pmid = 7365267 }}</ref> The amoebae were obtained from the haemolymph of snails originally sampled in Puerto Rico.
''C. owczarzaki''<nowiki />'s life cycle comprises 3 different stages with three different cell types, which was reported in 2017.<ref name="Ferrer-Bonet 2017">{{cite journal|vauthors=Ferrer-Bonet M, Ruiz-Trillo I|title=Capsaspora owczarzaki|journal=Curr Biol|url=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)30640-1|access-date=2024-09-06|issn=0960-9822|volume=27|issue=17|pages=R829–R830|date=2017-09-11}}</ref> Under culture conditions, ''C. owczarzaki'<nowiki />''s filopodial cells crawl attached to the substrate, with active replication until the end of the exponential growth phase. Then, cells start to detach, retracting the branching filopodia and encysting. During this cystic phase, division is stopped. Alternatively, amoebae can actively aggregate to each other by unknown factors, forming a multicellular, aggregative structure and secreting an unstructured extracellular material that seems to prevent direct cell-to-cell contact.
''C. owczarzaki'' cells, in the filopodial stage, were described as 3 to 5 μm amoebas with a nucleus {{frac|1|3}} - {{frac|1|2}} of the diameter of the cell (containing a central nucleolus), long branched filopodia, mitochondria with flattened cristae, numerous phagosomes, lipid vacuoles, glycogen granules and a Golgi apparatus.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Cystic cells measure 4 to 5 μm with a double wall: the outer thin, irregular and loosely attached; and the inner thicker, smooth.<ref>Sebe-Pedros, A. (2013) The origin of metazoan multicellularity, a genomic and functionalapproach. PhD UB, Facultat de Biologia, Departament de Genètica</ref>
== Taxonomy == thumbnail|Phylogenetic position of ''Capsaspora''''C. owczarzaki'' is together with ''Ministeria vibrans'' a member of the Filasterea clade.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | last1 = Torruella | first1 = G | last2 = Derelle | first2 = R | last3 = Paps | first3 = J | last4 = Lang | first4 = F | last5 = Roger | first5 = A | last6 = Shalchian-Tabrizi | first6 = K | last7 = Ruiz-Trillo | first7 = I | year = 2012 | title = Phylogenetic relationships within theOpisthokonta based on phylogenomic analyses of conserved single copy proteindomains | journal = Molecular Biology and Evolution | volume = 29 | issue = 2| pages = 531–544 | doi=10.1093/molbev/msr185 | pmid=21771718 | pmc=3350318}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite journal | last1 = Shalchian-Tabrizi | first1 = K | last2 = Minge | first2 = MA | last3 = Espelund | first3 = M | last4 = Orr | first4 = R | last5 = Ruden | first5 = T | last6 = Jakobsen | first6 = KS | last7 = Cavalier-Smith | first7 = T | year = 2008 | title = Multigene phylogeny of choanozoa and the origin of animals | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 3 | issue = 5| article-number = e2098 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002098 | pmid=18461162 | pmc=2346548| bibcode = 2008PLoSO...3.2098S | doi-access = free }}</ref> This group is the sister group to a clade comprising Metazoa and Choanoflagellata, which together form the Filozoa.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Paps | first1 = J | last2 = Medina-Chacon | first2 = L | last3 = Marshall | first3 = W | last4 = Suga | first4 = H | last5 = Ruiz-Trillo | first5 = I | year = 2013 | title = Molecular phylogeny of Unikonts: new insightsinto the position of apusomonads and ancyromonads and the internalrelationships of opisthokonts | journal = Protist | volume = 164 | issue = 1| pages = 2–12 | doi=10.1016/j.protis.2012.09.002 | pmid=23083534 | pmc=4342546}}</ref> ''C. owczarzaki'' was originally described as nucleariids.<ref name=":5" /> However, later molecular ribosomal phylogenies placed ''C. owczarzaki'' somewhere closer to animals than the rest of nucleariids.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hertel|first1=Lynn A.|last2=Bayne|first2=Christopher J.|last3=Loker|first3=Eric S.|date=2002-08-01|title=The symbiont Capsaspora owczarzaki, nov. gen. nov. sp., isolated from three strains of the pulmonate snail Biomphalaria glabrata is related to members of the Mesomycetozoea|journal=International Journal for Parasitology|volume=32|issue=9|pages=1183–1191|issn=0020-7519|pmid=12117501|doi=10.1016/s0020-7519(02)00066-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zettler|first1=L. A. A.|last2=Nerad|first2=T. A.|last3=O'Kelly|first3=C. J.|last4=Sogin|first4=M. L.|date=2001-05-01|title=The nucleariid amoebae: more protists at the animal-fungal boundary|journal=The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology|volume=48|issue=3|pages=293–297|issn=1066-5234|pmid=11411837|doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.2001.tb00317.x|s2cid=44548329}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Medina|first1=Mónica|last2=Collins|first2=Allen G.|last3=Taylor|first3=John W.|last4=Valentine|first4=James W.|last5=Lipps|first5=Jere H.|last6=Amaral-Zettler|first6=Linda|last7=Sogin|first7=Mitchell L.|date=2003-07-01|title=Phylogeny of Opisthokonta and the evolution of multicellularity and complexity in Fungi and Metazoa|journal=International Journal of Astrobiology|volume=2|issue=3|pages=203–211|doi=10.1017/S1473550403001551|bibcode=2003IJAsB...2..203M|issn=1475-3006|doi-access=free}}</ref> Finally, a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis with several opisthokont taxa clearly showed that ''C. owczarzaki'' is not a nucleariid, but part of the Holozoa.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ruiz-Trillo|first1=Iñaki|last2=Inagaki|first2=Yuji|last3=Davis|first3=Lesley A.|last4=Sperstad|first4=Sigmund|last5=Landfald|first5=Bjarne|last6=Roger|first6=Andrew J.|title=Capsaspora owczarzaki is an independent opisthokont lineage|journal=Current Biology|volume=14|issue=22|pages=R946–R947|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2004.10.037|pmid=15556849|year=2004|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ruiz-Trillo|first1=Inaki|last2=Lane|first2=Christopher E.|last3=Archibald|first3=John M.|last4=Roger|first4=Andrew J.|date=2006-09-01|title=Insights into the evolutionary origin and genome architecture of the unicellular opisthokonts Capsaspora owczarzaki and Sphaeroforma arctica|journal=The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology|volume=53|issue=5|pages=379–384|doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.2006.00118.x|issn=1066-5234|pmid=16968456|s2cid=24862220}}</ref> This was later on corroborated by phylogenomic analyses,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ruiz-Trillo|first1=Iñaki|last2=Roger|first2=Andrew J.|last3=Burger|first3=Gertraud|last4=Gray|first4=Michael W.|last5=Lang|first5=B. Franz|date=2008-04-01|title=A phylogenomic investigation into the origin of metazoa|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=25|issue=4|pages=664–672|doi=10.1093/molbev/msn006|issn=1537-1719|pmid=18184723|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Shalchian-Tabrizi|first1=Kamran|last2=Minge|first2=Marianne A.|last3=Espelund|first3=Mari|last4=Orr|first4=Russell|last5=Ruden|first5=Torgeir|last6=Jakobsen|first6=Kjetill S.|last7=Cavalier-Smith|first7=Thomas|date=2008-05-07|title=Multigene Phylogeny of Choanozoa and the Origin of Animals|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=3|issue=5|article-number=e2098|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002098|issn=1932-6203| pmc=2346548 |pmid=18461162|bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.2098S|doi-access=free}}</ref> one of which <ref name=":6" /> situated it as sister-group to ''Ministeria'' forming the Filasterea clade, which is the sister-group to Choanoflagellatea and Metazoa.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Torruella|first1=G.|last2=Derelle|first2=R.|last3=Paps|first3=J.|last4=Lang|first4=B. F.|last5=Roger|first5=A. J.|last6=Shalchian-Tabrizi|first6=K.|last7=Ruiz-Trillo|first7=I.|date=2012-02-01|title=Phylogenetic Relationships within the Opisthokonta Based on Phylogenomic Analyses of Conserved Single-Copy Protein Domains|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|language=en|volume=29|issue=2|pages=531–544|doi=10.1093/molbev/msr185|issn=0737-4038| pmc=3350318 |pmid=21771718}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Torruella|first1=Guifré|last2=Mendoza|first2=Alex de|last3=Grau-Bové|first3=Xavier|last4=Antó|first4=Meritxell|last5=Chaplin|first5=Mark A.|last6=Campo|first6=Javier del|last7=Eme|first7=Laura|last8=Pérez-Cordón|first8=Gregorio|last9=Whipps|first9=Christopher M.|title=Phylogenomics Reveals Convergent Evolution of Lifestyles in Close Relatives of Animals and Fungi|journal=Current Biology|volume=25|issue=18|pages=2404–2410|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.053|pmid=26365255|year=2015|doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Applications== ''C. owczarzaki'' is of scientific interest because it is one of the closest unicellular relatives of multicellular animals. Its genome has recently been sequenced and shows several genes involved in metazoan multicellularity, such as integrins,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Sebe-Pedros | first1 = A | last2 = RogerA | first2 = Lang F | last3 = King | first3 = N | last4 = Ruiz-Trillo | first4 = I | year = 2010 | title = Ancient origin of integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling machinery | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA | volume = 107 | issue = 22| pages = 10142–7 | doi=10.1073/pnas.1002257107 | pmid=20479219 | pmc=2890464| doi-access = free }}</ref> metazoan transcription factors,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Sebe-Pedros | first1 = A | last2 = de Mendoza | first2 = A | last3 = Lang | first3 = F | last4 = Degnan | first4 = B | last5 = Ruiz-Trillo | first5 = I | year = 2011 | title = Unexpected repertoire of metazoan transcription factors in the unicellular holozoan Capsaspora owczarzaki | journal = Molecular Biology and Evolution | volume = 28 | issue = 3| pages = 1241–54 | doi=10.1093/molbev/msq309 | pmid=21087945 | pmc=4342549}}</ref> and protein tyrosine kinases.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Suga | first1 = H | last2 = DacreM | last3 = de Mendoza | first3 = A | last4 = Shalchian-Tabrizi | first4 = K | last5 = Manning | first5 = G | last6 = Ruiz-TrilloI | year = 2012 | title = Genomic Survey of Premetazoans Shows Deep Conservation of Cytoplasmic Tyrosine Kinases and Multiple Radiations of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases | journal = Science Signaling | volume = 5| issue = 222 | page = ra35| doi = 10.1126/scisignal.2002733 | pmid = 22550341 | hdl = 10261/112779 | s2cid = 27205070 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> Moreover, it has relevance to human health because its host, the snail ''Biomphalaria glabrata'', is also the intermediate host of the digenean flatworm ''Schistosoma mansoni'', the causative agent of widespread schistosomiasis in humans. ''C. owczarzaki'' not only parasitizes the intermediate host of ''S. mansoni'' but also attacks and kills the sporocysts of the flatworm living inside the snail.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal|last2=Stibbs|first2=HH|last3=Bayne|first3=CJ|date=January 1980|title=The destruction of Schistosoma mansoni mother sporocystsin vitro by amoebae isolated from Biomphalaria glabrata: an ultrastructuralstudy|journal=J. Invertebr. Pathol.|volume=35|issue=1|pages=26–33|doi=10.1016/0022-2011(80)90079-8|pmid=7365267|last1=Owczarzak|first1=A}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Opisthokont protists}} {{Taxonbar|from1=Q15241106|from2=Q864425|from3=Q5036338}}
Category:Monotypic eukaryote genera Category:Filasterea Category:Protist genera