Morphological Variability and Distinct Protein Profiles of Cultured and Endosymbiotic Symbiodinium cells Isolated from Exaiptasia pulchella.
Symbiodinium is a dinoflagellate that plays an important role in the physiology of the symbiotic relationships of Cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones. However, it is very difficult to cultivate free-living dinoflagellates after being isolated from the host, as they are very sensitive to environmental changes. How these symbiont cells are supported by the host tissue is still unclear. This study investigated the characteristics of Symbiodinium cells, particularly with respect to the morphological variability and distinct protein profiles of both cultured and endosymbiotic Symbiodinium which were freshly isolated from Exaiptasia pulchella. The response of the cellular morphology of freshly isolated Symbiodinium cells kept under a 12 h L:12 h D cycle to different temperatures was measured. Cellular proliferation was investigated by measuring the growth pattern of Symbiodinium cells, the results of which indicated that the growth was significantly reduced in response to the extreme temperatures. Proteomic analysis of freshly isolated Symbiodinium cells revealed twelve novel proteins that putatively included transcription translation factors, photosystem proteins, and proteins associated with energy and lipid metabolism, as well as defense response. The results of this study will bring more understandings to the mechanisms governing the endosymbiotic relationship between the cnidarians and dinoflagellates.
Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Buntora
B
Pasaribu
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Pingtung, 944 Taiwan.
Li-Chi
LC
Weng
Department of Biotechnology, National Formosa University, Taiwan.
I-Ping
IP
Lin
Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Eddie
E
Camargo
Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Jason T C
JT
Tzen
Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Ching-Hsiu
CH
Tsai
Department of Agronomy, National Chia-Yi University, Chia-Yi 600, Taiwan.
Shin-Lon
SL
Ho
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Pingtung, 944 Taiwan.
Mong-Rong
MR
Lin
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Pingtung, 944 Taiwan.|Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 944, Taiwan.
Li-Hsueh
LH
Wang
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Pingtung, 944 Taiwan.|Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 944, Taiwan.|Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan.
Chii-Shiarng
CS
Chen
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Pingtung, 944 Taiwan.|Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 944, Taiwan.
Pei-Luen
PL
Jiang
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020543:Proteome; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D012615:Sea Anemones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013559:Symbiosis; D013696:Temperature
D020543:Proteome