Encystment and excystment in ciliated protists: Multidimensional approach

Abstract

In unfavourable conditions, ciliated protists lower or shut down their metabolic activities and form resting cysts to survive. According to the present knowledge, most studies are based on one or two-dimensional approaches to understand the morphological, physiological and biochemical changes during encystment and excystment. However, in the last few years, research has been initiated to reveal proteins involved in encystment. This review provides an insight into the major findings related to the formation of resting cysts in ciliates using multidimensional approach and various limitations in the field.