Distribution patterns and nutritional contributions of algal symbionts in the sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Mutualistic associations are prevalent in virtually all environments yet relatively little is known about their complex biochemical and molecular integration and regulation. The endosymbiosis between cnidarians such as the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima and the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium californium, in which the algal symbionts are housed in vacuoles within animal endodermal cells, is an ideal model for the study of highly integrated associations at the biochemical and molecular levels. This study describes differential protein synthesis between symbiotic A. elegantissima, collected from environments with high levels of light in the intertidal zone and A. elegantissima that naturally lack symbionts (aposymbiotic), collected from nearby deep-shade habitats. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis profiles of both steady-state and newly synthesized proteins were compared between the two types of animals using scanning densitometry and image analysis. Symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals share a majority of proteins; however, striking differences in several abundant proteins in steady-state profiles occur. Two proteins are unique to symbiotic animals, one at 32 kDa with an isoelectric point (pI) of 7.9 and another at 31 kDa, pI 6.3. Levels of six proteins with an apparent molecular mass of 25 kDa and pI values ranging from 4.8 to 5.5 are greatly enhanced in aposymbiotic animals. Furthermore, profiles of newly synthesized proteins from symbiotic animals contain a unique cluster of proteins ranging from 25 to 30 kDa and pI 6.6 to 6.9. These marked differences in protein profiles must be a reflection either of underlying differences in the regulation of gene expression or in post-translational modification of common proteins. Identifying the symbiosis-specific products present in A. elegantissima and identifying the inter-partner signaling and cues that result in differential expression will provide an insight into the understanding of these highly integrated associations.

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Flexibility of nutritional strategies within a mutualism: food availability affects algal symbiont productivity in two congeneric sea anemone species

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.1860 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1940) ◽

pp. 20201860

Author(s):

Samuel A. Bedgood ◽

Sarah E. Mastroni ◽

Matthew E. S. Bracken

Keyword(s):

Food Availability ◽

Sea Anemone ◽

Symbiotic Association ◽

Sea Anemones ◽

External Resources ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Algal Symbionts ◽

Algal Symbiont ◽

Nutritional Strategy ◽

Nutritional Strategies

Mutualistic symbioses are common, especially in nutrient-poor environments where an association between hosts and symbionts can allow the symbiotic partners to persist and collectively out-compete non-symbiotic species. Usually these mutualisms are built on an intimate transfer of energy and nutrients (e.g. carbon and nitrogen) between host and symbiont. However, resource availability is not consistent, and the benefit of the symbiotic association can depend on the availability of resources to mutualists. We manipulated the diets of two temperate sea anemone species in the genus Anthopleura in the field and recorded the responses of sea anemones and algal symbionts in the family Symbiodiniaceae to our treatments. Algal symbiont density, symbiont volume and photosynthetic efficiency of symbionts responded to changes in sea anemone diet, but the responses depended on the species of sea anemone. We suggest that temperate sea anemones and their symbionts can respond to changes in anemone diet, modifying the balance between heterotrophy and autotrophy in the symbiosis. Our data support the hypothesis that symbionts are upregulated or downregulated based on food availability, allowing for a flexible nutritional strategy based on external resources.

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Identification and characterization of novel sodium channel toxins from the sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Toxicon ◽

10.1016/s0041-0101(97)00064-0 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 41-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Gregory J. Kelso ◽

Kenneth M. Blumenthal

Keyword(s):

Sodium Channel ◽

Sea Anemone ◽

Anthopleura Xanthogrammica ◽

Identification And Characterization

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Purification and pharmacological properties of eight sea anemone toxins from Anemonia sulcata, Anthopleura xanthogrammica, Stoichactis giganteus and Actinodendron plumosum

Biochemistry ◽

10.1021/bi00521a023 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 20 (18) ◽

pp. 5245-5252 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Hugues Schweitz ◽

Jean Pierre Vincent ◽

Jacques Barhanin ◽

Christian Frelin ◽

Guy Linden ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Anemone ◽

Pharmacological Properties ◽

Anemonia Sulcata ◽

Anthopleura Xanthogrammica

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Translocation of Photosynthetic Carbon From Two Algal Symbionts to the Sea Anemone Anthopleura elegantissima

Biological Bulletin ◽

10.2307/1542998 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 197 (1) ◽

pp. 72-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

H. P. Engebretson ◽

G. Muller-Parker

Keyword(s):

Sea Anemone ◽

Algal Symbionts ◽

Photosynthetic Carbon ◽

Anthopleura Elegantissima

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Pontibacillus litoralis sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic bacterium isolated from a sea anemone, and emended description of the genus Pontibacillus

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY ◽

10.1099/ijs.0.009910-0 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 560-565 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Yi-Guang Chen ◽

Yu-Qin Zhang ◽

Lang-Bo Yi ◽

Zhao-Yang Li ◽

Yong-Xiao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

16S Rrna ◽

16S Rrna Gene ◽

Sea Anemone ◽

Diaminopimelic Acid ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Respiratory Quinone ◽

Facultatively Anaerobic ◽

Emended Description ◽

Anthopleura Xanthogrammica

A facultatively anaerobic, moderately halophilic, Gram-positive, endospore-forming, motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, strain JSM 072002T, was isolated from a sea anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) collected from the South China Sea. Strain JSM 072002T was able to grow with 0.5–15 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.0–10.0 and 15–50 °C; optimum growth was observed with 2–5 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.5 and 35 °C. meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 and the genomic DNA G+C content was 41.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 072002T should be assigned to the genus Pontibacillus and revealed relatively low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (<97 %) with the type strains of the three recognized Pontibacillus species (Pontibacillus chungwhensis BH030062T, 96.8 %; Pontibacillus marinus KCTC 3917T, 96.7 %; Pontibacillus halophilus JSM 076056T, 96.0 %). The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA–DNA relatedness values, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supports the view that strain JSM 072002T represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacillus, for which the name Pontibacillus litoralis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 072002T (=DSM 21186T=KCTC 13237T). An emended description of the genus Pontibacillus is also presented.

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Photo-movement in the sea anemone Aiptasia influenced by light quality and symbiotic association

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-019-01866-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 47-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shawna A. Foo ◽

Lauren Liddell ◽

Arthur Grossman ◽

Ken Caldeira

Keyword(s):

White Light ◽

Red Light ◽

Normal Animal ◽

Sea Anemone ◽

Symbiotic Association ◽

Phototactic Behavior ◽

Algal Symbionts ◽

Algal Symbiont ◽

The Relationship ◽

Selection Of

Abstract The relationship between cnidarians and their micro-algal symbionts is crucial for normal animal function and the formation of coral reefs. We used the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (Aiptasia) as a model cnidarian–dinoflagellate system to determine the effects of white, blue and red light on photo-movement. In white light, phototropism and phototaxis of Aiptasia were dependent on the presence of symbionts; anemones with symbionts bent and moved toward the light, whereas aposymbiotic anemones (lacking algal symbionts) moved, but without strong directionality. Phototaxis and phototropism also occurred in blue light, but to a lesser extent than in white light, with no apparent response to red light. Phototactic behavior was also sensitive to the specific anemone–symbiont pairing. The ability to sense and move in response to light would presumably allow for selection of favorable habitats. Overall, this study demonstrates that the algal symbiont is required for photo-movement of the host and that the extent of movement is influenced by the different anemone–symbiont associations.

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