Abstract
Symbiotic interactions occur in all domains of life, providing organisms with resources to adapt to new habitats.A prime example is the endosymbiosis be-tween corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates. Eukaryotic dinoflagellate symbionts reside inside coral cells and transfer essential nutrients to their hosts, driving the productivity of the most biodiverse marine ecosystem. Recent advances in molecular and genomic characterization have revealed symbiosis-specific genes and mechanisms shared among symbiotic cnidar-ians. In this review, we focus on the cellular and molecular processes that underpin the interaction between symbiont and host.We discuss symbiont acquisition via phagocytosis, modulation of host innate immunity, symbiont integration into host cell metabolism, and nutrient exchange as a fundamen-tal aspect of stable symbiotic associations. We emphasize the importance of using model systems to dissect the cellular complexity of endosymbio-sis, which ultimately serves as the basis for understanding its ecology and capacity to adapt in the face of climate change.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 411-434 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Annual Review of Genetics |
| Volume | 57 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Nov 2023 |
Funding
Funding was provided by the H2020 European Research Council (Consolidator Grant 724715) to A.G. and by the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna to E.A.H.
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106026 Ecosystem research
- 106021 Marine biology
- 106012 Evolutionary research
- 106059 Microbiome research
Keywords
- coral reefs
- endosymbiosis
- innate immunity
- model system
- nutrient exchange
- phagocytosis
