研究揭示軟珊瑚Xenia中內共生細胞類型的譜系動態

研究揭示軟珊瑚Xenia中內共生細胞類型的譜系動態

作者：

小柯機器人

發布時間：2020/6/19 19:17:50

美國卡內基科學研究所鄭詣先、Chen-Ming Fan、Minjie Hu等研究人員合作揭示軟珊瑚Xenia中內共生細胞類型的譜系動態。該研究於2020年6月17日在線發表於國際一流學術期刊《自然》。

研究人員報導了一種快速生長的軟珊瑚Xenia的染色體水平基因組裝配，並使用該物種作為研究珊瑚與藻類共生的模型。單細胞RNA測序鑑定了Xenia中的16個細胞簇，包括胃真皮細胞和刺細胞。研究人員確定了共生細胞類型，其表達一組獨特的基因，這些基因與識別、吞噬和/或內吞作用、藻類的維持以及宿主珊瑚細胞的免疫調節有關。通過聯合Xenia再生和單細胞RNA測序，研究人員觀察到了內共生細胞的動態譜系進程。這些與內共生相關的保守基因可能有助於揭示不同珊瑚吸收或喪失其內共生體的共同原理。

 

據悉，許多珊瑚含有共生的鞭毛藻。這種藻類生活在珊瑚細胞內一個專門的膜區室中，也被稱為共生體，其與珊瑚宿主細胞共享光合固定的碳，而宿主細胞為藻類提供無機碳以進行光合作用。這種對維持珊瑚礁生態系統至關重要的內共生，正日益受到環境壓力的威脅，導致珊瑚褪色（即內共生的破壞），進而導致珊瑚死亡和海洋生態系統退化。在珊瑚細胞中協調識別、攝取和維持藻類的分子途徑仍知之甚少。

 

附：英文原文

Title: Lineage dynamics of the endosymbiotic cell type in the soft coral Xenia

Author: Minjie Hu, Xiaobin Zheng, Chen-Ming Fan, Yixian Zheng

Issue&Volume: 2020-06-17

Abstract: Many corals harbour symbiotic dinoflagellate algae. The algae live inside coral cells in a specialized membrane compartment known as the symbiosome, which shares the photosynthetically fixed carbon with coral host cells while host cells provide inorganic carbon to the algae for photosynthesis1. This endosymbiosis—which is critical for the maintenance of coral reef ecosystems—is increasingly threatened by environmental stressors that lead to coral bleaching (that is, the disruption of endosymbiosis), which in turn leads to coral death and the degradation of marine ecosystems2. The molecular pathways that orchestrate the recognition, uptake and maintenance of algae in coral cells remain poorly understood. Here we report the chromosome-level genome assembly of a Xenia species of fast-growing soft coral3, and use this species as a model to investigate coral–alga endosymbiosis. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified 16 cell clusters, including gastrodermal cells and cnidocytes, in Xenia sp. We identified the endosymbiotic cell type, which expresses a distinct set of genes that are implicated in the recognition, phagocytosis and/or endocytosis, and maintenance of algae, as well as in the immune modulation of host coral cells. By coupling Xenia sp. regeneration and single-cell RNA sequencing, we observed a dynamic lineage progression of the endosymbiotic cells. The conserved genes associated with endosymbiosis that are reported here may help to reveal common principles by which different corals take up or lose their endosymbionts.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2385-7

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2385-7