TY - JOUR

T1 - Integrative Study of the Life Cycle in the Marine Protist Thraustochytrium aureum ssp. strugatskii

AU - Doroshkov, Alexey V.

AU - Naumenko, Ludmila G.

AU - Iukhtanov, Daniil A.

AU - Morozova, Ksenia N.

AU - Kiseleva, Elena V.

AU - Menzorov, Aleksei G.

AU - Zubairova, Ulyana S.

N1 - This research was funded by Russian Science Foundation, grant number 24-24-00451 (https://rscf.ru/project/24-24-00451/, accessed on 25 October 2025). The APC was funded by Russian Science Foundation, grant number 24-24-00451.

PY - 2025/11/22

Y1 - 2025/11/22

N2 - Thraustochytrium aureum ssp. strugatskii, a marine protist belonging to the class Labyrinthulea, exhibits a complex life cycle characterized by alternating motile and vegetative phases. Using an integrative multimodal microscopy approach, we reconstructed its full developmental cycle and analyzed the coordination between cellular morphology, subcellular architecture, and population-level behavior. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy, combined with fluorescence and time-lapse imaging, revealed the dynamics of nuclear division, organelle rearrangement, and zoospore formation. Morphometric analysis of serial ultrathin sections demonstrated distinct changes in mitochondrial distribution, Golgi apparatus, and lipid droplet abundance during transitions between stages. We have shown that vegetative cells undergo synchronized karyokinesis coupled with stable nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratios, leading to the emergence of multinucleate stages prior to zoospore formation. The integration of ultrastructural and dynamic data enabled us to propose a systems-level model linking metabolic state, morphogenesis, and population structure. This model highlights feedback regulation between nutrient availability, biomass accumulation, and developmental synchronization. Our results establish that T. aureum ssp. strugatskii has good potential to serve as a tractable model organism for systems-level studies of protists and provide an initial framework for predictive modeling of its life cycle under controlled conditions.

AB - Thraustochytrium aureum ssp. strugatskii, a marine protist belonging to the class Labyrinthulea, exhibits a complex life cycle characterized by alternating motile and vegetative phases. Using an integrative multimodal microscopy approach, we reconstructed its full developmental cycle and analyzed the coordination between cellular morphology, subcellular architecture, and population-level behavior. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy, combined with fluorescence and time-lapse imaging, revealed the dynamics of nuclear division, organelle rearrangement, and zoospore formation. Morphometric analysis of serial ultrathin sections demonstrated distinct changes in mitochondrial distribution, Golgi apparatus, and lipid droplet abundance during transitions between stages. We have shown that vegetative cells undergo synchronized karyokinesis coupled with stable nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratios, leading to the emergence of multinucleate stages prior to zoospore formation. The integration of ultrastructural and dynamic data enabled us to propose a systems-level model linking metabolic state, morphogenesis, and population structure. This model highlights feedback regulation between nutrient availability, biomass accumulation, and developmental synchronization. Our results establish that T. aureum ssp. strugatskii has good potential to serve as a tractable model organism for systems-level studies of protists and provide an initial framework for predictive modeling of its life cycle under controlled conditions.

KW - Thraustochytrium aureum ssp. strugatskii

KW - Labyrinthulea

KW - life cycle

KW - multimodal microscopy

KW - ultrastructure

KW - morphometric analysis

KW - karyokinesis

KW - population dynamics

KW - biotechnology

KW - marine protists

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024653471

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/ae18a473-5735-3501-8c70-814bf516fa66/

U2 - 10.3390/ijms262311302

DO - 10.3390/ijms262311302

M3 - Article

C2 - 41373465

VL - 26

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1661-6596

IS - 23

M1 - 11302

ER -