Capsaspora owczarzaki is a single-celled eukaryote that can kill the parasites that cause schistosomiasis. This microbe was first isolated from the Biomphalaria snails that transmit schistosomes, and it has been shown to swarm and kill schistosomes in vitro. However, the chemistry and biochemistry that underlie its interactions with snails and schistosomes remain unstudied. We aim to elucidate which chemical factors Capsaspora senses from its snail hosts and its schistosome prey. Through bioassay-guided fraction of host serum, we have discovered that Capsaspora responds to specific host lipid molecules by aggregating—a phenotype that may help it to evade immune responses or feed more efficiently. Furthermore, by combining cell migration assays with analytical chemistry, we have discovered that Capsaspora responds to certain nutrients with a chemotactic response, which may enable it to efficiently hunt its prey. Now, we are employing the tools of proteomics, genetics, and chemical probes to characterize the signaling pathways that Capsaspora uses to regulate its chemically induced aggregation and migration phenotypes. These findings will reveal the chemical and biochemical foundations of this underexplored tripartite symbiosis. Our findings may reveal avenues to utilize Capsaspora as a biocontrol agent to reduce schistosome populations near human communities. Moreover, since Capsaspora is one of the closest unicellular relatives of animals, our work may inform the efforts of evolutionary biologists to reconstruct signaling pathways that plausibly existed in recent ancestors of multicellular animals.

Chemical signaling regulates aggregation and chemotaxis in a predator of a human pathogen

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