RNASeq of M. pulex, fed
M. pulex (EPMP20B2) cells were grown in sterile filtered seawater (FSW) with Storeatula major as prey, added weekly with fresh media at a 10:1 prey:predator ratio. Cells were cultured in 250 mL tissue culture flasks and harvested for RNA extraction by gently concentrating the ciliates atop of 8.0 m Transwell filters in 6 well plates. About 100 mL of cells were concentrated over each filter with prey and bacteria allowed to pass through, and the M. pulex were then washed with 100 mL of FSW before collecting them on a 1 m polycarbonate filter, freezing with liquid nitrogen, and storing at -80C until extraction. We extracted RNA from flash-frozen samples using a Qiagen RNeasy Plant kit