Limits to the cellular control of sequestered cryptophyte prey in the marine ciliate Mesodinium rubrum.

ABSTRACT: The marine ciliate Mesodinium rubrum is famous for its ability to acquire and exploit chloroplasts and other cell organelles from some cryptophyte algal species. We sequenced genomes and transcriptomes of free-swimming Teleaulax amphioxeia, as well as well-fed and starved M. rubrum in order to understand cellular processes upon sequestration under different prey and light conditions. From its prey, the ciliate acquires the ability to photosynthesize as well as the potential to metabolize several essential compounds including lysine, glycan, and vitamins that elucidate its specific prey dependency. M. rubrum does not express photosynthesis-related genes itself, but elicits considerable transcriptional control of the acquired cryptophyte organelles. This control is limited as light-dependent

SUBMITTER: Altenburger A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8115319 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature