Dinoflagellate inhabitants of the reef-building corals exchange nutrients and signals with host cells, which often benefit the growth of both partners. Phytohormones serve as central hubs for signal integration between symbiotic microbes and their hosts, allowing appropriate modulation of plant growth and defense in response to various stresses. However, the presence and function of phytohormones in photosynthetic dinoflagellates and their function in the holobionts remain elusive. We…
September 2022 archive
Sep 29
A Functional Genomics View of Gibberellin Metabolism in the Cnidarian Symbiont <em>Breviolum minutum</em>
Dinoflagellate inhabitants of the reef-building corals exchange nutrients and signals with host cells, which often benefit the growth of both partners. Phytohormones serve as central hubs for signal integration between symbiotic microbes and their hosts, allowing appropriate modulation of plant growth and defense in response to various stresses. However, the presence and function of phytohormones in photosynthetic dinoflagellates and their function in the holobionts remain elusive. We…
Sep 23
The coral <em>Acropora loripes</em> genome reveals an alternative pathway for cysteine biosynthesis in animals
The metabolic capabilities of animals have been derived from well-studied model organisms and are generally considered to be well understood. In animals, cysteine is an important amino acid thought to be exclusively synthesized through the transsulfuration pathway. Corals of the genus Acropora have lost cystathionine β-synthase, a key enzyme of the transsulfuration pathway, and it was proposed that Acropora relies on the symbiosis with dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae for the…
Sep 22
A Comparison of Dinoflagellate Thiolation Domain Binding Proteins Using In Vitro and Molecular Methods
Dinoflagellates play important roles in ecosystems as primary producers and consumers making natural products that can benefit or harm environmental and human health but are also potential therapeutics with unique chemistries. Annotations of dinoflagellate genes have been hampered by large genomes with many gene copies that reduce the reliability of transcriptomics, quantitative PCR, and targeted knockouts. This study aimed to functionally characterize dinoflagellate proteins by testing their…
Sep 22
A Comparison of Dinoflagellate Thiolation Domain Binding Proteins Using In Vitro and Molecular Methods
Dinoflagellates play important roles in ecosystems as primary producers and consumers making natural products that can benefit or harm environmental and human health but are also potential therapeutics with unique chemistries. Annotations of dinoflagellate genes have been hampered by large genomes with many gene copies that reduce the reliability of transcriptomics, quantitative PCR, and targeted knockouts. This study aimed to functionally characterize dinoflagellate proteins by testing their…
Sep 15
Mitochondrial genomes in Perkinsus decode conserved frameshifts in all genes
Mitochondrial genomes of apicomplexans, dinoflagellates and chrompodellids that collectively make up the Myzozoa, encode only three proteins (COB, COX1, COX3), contain fragmented rRNAs, and display extensive recombination, RNA trans-splicing, and RNA-editing. The early-diverging Perkinsozoa is the final major myzozoan lineage whose mitochondrial genomes remained poorly characterized. Previous reports of Perkinsus genes indicated independent acquisition of non-canonical features, namely the…
Sep 15
Mitochondrial genomes in Perkinsus decode conserved frameshifts in all genes
Mitochondrial genomes of apicomplexans, dinoflagellates and chrompodellids that collectively make up the Myzozoa, encode only three proteins (COB, COX1, COX3), contain fragmented rRNAs, and display extensive recombination, RNA trans-splicing, and RNA-editing. The early-diverging Perkinsozoa is the final major myzozoan lineage whose mitochondrial genomes remained poorly characterized. Previous reports of Perkinsus genes indicated independent acquisition of non-canonical features, namely the…
Sep 12
<em>G</em> <em>lugea</em> sp. infecting <em>Sardinella aurita</em> in Algeria
Parasitological examination of the commercially important pelagic fish Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847 (Clupeidae) from the Eastern coast of Algeria revealed xenomas in the peritoneal cavity, suggesting a microsporidian infection. The prevalence of the disease was approximately 30% on average, higher in smaller individuals and showing significant seasonal variation. The xenomas contained numerous ellipsoidal spores, surrounded by a dense layer of connective tissue. Spore sizes were 6.10 ±…
Sep 12
<em>G</em> <em>lugea</em> sp. infecting <em>Sardinella aurita</em> in Algeria
Parasitological examination of the commercially important pelagic fish Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847 (Clupeidae) from the Eastern coast of Algeria revealed xenomas in the peritoneal cavity, suggesting a microsporidian infection. The prevalence of the disease was approximately 30% on average, higher in smaller individuals and showing significant seasonal variation. The xenomas contained numerous ellipsoidal spores, surrounded by a dense layer of connective tissue. Spore sizes were 6.10 ±…
Sep 08
“Reference genome assembly of the sunburst anemone, Anthopleura sola”
The sunburst anemone Anthopleura sola is an abundant species inhabiting the intertidal zone of coastal California. Historically, this species has extended from Baja California, Mexico to as far north as Monterey Bay, CA. However, recently the geographic range of this species has expanded to Bodega Bay, CA, possibly as far north as Salt Point, CA. This species also forms symbiotic partnerships with the dinoflagellate Breviolum muscatinei, a member of the family Symbiodiniaceae. These partnerships…
- 1
- 2
Recent Comments