Kaz Kawamura, Eiichi Shoguchi, Koki Nishitsuji, Satoko Sekida, Haruhi Narisoko, Hongwei Zhao, Yang Shu, Pengcheng Fu, Hiroshi Yamashita, Shigeki Fujiwara, Noriyuki Satoh
Coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis is a unique biological phenomenon, in which animal cells engulf single-celled photosynthetic algae and maintain them in their cytoplasm mutualistically. Studies are needed to reveal the complex mechanisms involved in symbiotic processes, but it is difficult to answer these questions using intact corals. To tackle these issues, our previous studies established an in vitro system of symbiosis between cells of the scleractinian coral Acropora tenuis and the dinoflagellate Breviolum minutum , and showed that corals direct phagocytosis, while algae are likely engulfed by coral cells passively...
December 2023: Zoological Science