Differential gene expression analysis on Euplotes single cell clonal population with supergiant morphs
In clonal populations of the ciliate Euplotes gigatrox, a small number of cells may develop into supergiants, namely their size drastically increases, also altering their shape and behaviour. Individual cells were collected at different developmental stages from a single monoclonal culture. Their full-length transcripts were sequenced and analyzed to identify patters of differential expression between the different morphs. This study explores largely unknown but complex developmental patters and dynamics existing in single-celled eukaryotes (protists).