Comparison of gene expression of Paramecium bursaria with and without Chlorella variabilis symbionts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The ciliate Paramecium bursaria harbors several hundred cells of the green-alga Chlorella sp. in their cytoplasm. Irrespective of the mutual relation between P. bursaria and the symbiotic algae, both cells retain the ability to grow without the partner. They can easily reestablish endosymbiosis when put in contact with each other. Consequently, P. bursaria is an excellent model for studying cell-cell interaction and the evolution of eukaryotic cells through secondary endosymbiosis between different protists. Despite the importance of this organism, no genomic resources have been identified for P. bursaria to date. This investigation compared gene expressions through RNA-Seq analysis and de novo transcriptome assembly of symbiont-free and symbiont-bearing host cells.

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SUBMITTER: Kodama Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4029085 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature