Clade-Specific Sterol Metabolites in Dinoflagellate Endosymbionts Are Associated with Coral Bleaching in Response to Environmental Cues.

ABSTRACT: Cnidarians cannot synthesize sterols (which play essential roles in growth and development) de novo but often use sterols acquired from endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. While sterol availability can impact the mutualistic interaction between coral host and algal symbiont, the biosynthetic pathways (in the dinoflagellate endosymbionts) and functional roles of sterols in these symbioses are poorly understood. In this study, we found that itraconazole, which perturbs sterol metabolism by inhibiting the sterol 14-demethylase CYP51 in dinoflagellates, induces bleaching of the anemone Heteractis crispa and that bleaching perturbs sterol metabolism of the dinoflagellate. While Symbiodiniaceae have clade-specific sterol metabolites, they share features of the common sterol biosynthetic

SUBMITTER: Lu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7527140 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature