AUTHOR=Liu Zhenfeng , Mesrop Lisa Y. , Hu Sarah K. , Caron David A. 

TITLE=Transcriptome of Thalassicolla nucleata Holobiont Reveals Details of a Radiolarian Symbiotic Relationship

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00284

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2019.00284

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=<p>Radiolarians are a group of ubiquitous, yet poorly understood, large protists that often harbor photosymbionts. We studied the solitary radiolarian <italic>Thalassicolla nucleata</italic> by analyzing the transcriptome of its holobiont. We found that <italic>T. nucleata</italic> contained two dinoflagellate symbionts, one photosymbiont <italic>Brandtodinium</italic> sp., and one putative Peridiniales parasite. Through comparisons of gene expressions of <italic>Brandtodinium</italic> sp. and those of a close relative from a free-living culture, we found that the <italic>Brandtodinium</italic> sp. maintained its photosynthetic activities, but altered its carbon metabolism dramatically <italic>in hospite</italic>. Gene expression data also suggested carbon and nitrogen exchange between the host and photosymbiont and that lectin-glycan interaction might play an important role in host-symbiont recognition.</p>