Differential expression analyses of the algivorous flagellate Orciraptor agilis (Viridiraptoridae, Cercozoa, Rhizaria) suggested the involvement of a highly expressed putative glycoside hydrolase of family GH5_5. Although their fascinating feeding behaviour has been observed for the last 150 years, it is still unknown how protoplast feeders produce the well-defined and species-specific perforations in biochemically diverse cell walls. These phagotrophic “protoplast feeders” represent an interesting mechanistic intermediate between predators and parasites and pose a number of cell biological questions. Several protists have evolved the ability to perforate the cell walls of algae and fungi to specifically feed on their cell contents.
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