In:
Biology Letters, The Royal Society, Vol. 8, No. 3 ( 2012-06-23), p. 434-437
Abstract:
The endosymbiotic relationship between coral hosts and dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium is critical for the growth and productivity of coral reef ecosystems. Here, synchrotron radiation-based infrared microspectroscopy was applied to examine metabolite concentration differences between endosymbiotic (within the anemone Aiptasia pulchella ) and free-living Symbiodinium over the light–dark cycle. Significant differences in levels of lipids, nitrogenous compounds, polysaccharides and putative cell wall components were documented. Compared with free-living Symbiodinium , total lipids, unsaturated lipids and polysaccharides were relatively enriched in endosymbiotic Symbiodinium during both light and dark photoperiods. Concentrations of cell wall-related metabolites did not vary temporally in endosymbiotic samples; in contrast, the concentrations of these metabolites increased dramatically during the dark photoperiod in free-living samples, possibly reflecting rhythmic cell-wall synthesis related to light-driven cell proliferation. The level of nitrogenous compounds in endosymbiotic cells did not vary greatly across the light–dark cycle and in general was significantly lower than that observed in free-living samples collected during the light. Collectively, these data suggest that nitrogen limitation is a factor that the host cell exploits to induce the biosynthesis of lipids and polysaccharides in endosymbiotic Symbiodinium .
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1744-9561
,
1744-957X
DOI:
10.1098/rsbl.2011.0893
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2012
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2103283-X
SSG:
12
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