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Comparative Analyses of the Symbiotic Associations of the Host Paramecium bursaria with Free-Living and Native Symbiotic Species of Chlorella

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Abstract

Each symbiotic Chlorella variabilis associated with the ciliate Paramecium bursaria is enclosed in a symbiosome called the perialgal vacuole. Various potential symbionts, such as bacteria, yeasts, other algae, and free-living Chlorella spp., can infect P. bursaria. However, the detailed infection process of each of them in algae-free P. bursaria is unknown. Here, we aimed to elucidate the difference of the infection process between the free-living C. sorokiniana strain NIES-2169 and native symbiotic C. variabilis strain 1N. We investigated the fate of ingested algae using algae-free P. bursaria exposed separately to three types of algal inocula: NIES-2169 only, 1N only, or a mixture of NIES-2169 and 1N. We found that (1) only one algal species, preferably the native one, was retained in host cells, indicating a type of host compatibility and (2) the algal localization style beneath the host cell cortex varied between different Chlorella spp. showing various levels of host compatibilities, which was prospectively attributable to the difference in the formation of the perialgal vacuole membrane.

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Data Availability

Upon reasonable request, the datasets used in the current study are available from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Emeritus Masahiro Fujishima (Yamaguchi University, Japan) for giving us the valuable monoclonal antibody against mitochondria. The authors would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English-language editing of the manuscript. The authors thank the faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences in Shimane University for financial supports in publishing this report.

Funding

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (Grant Number 20K06768) and (B) (Grant Number 23H02529) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the Oshimo Foundation (Hiroshima, Japan) to YK.

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  1. Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Academic Assembly, Shimane University, Matsue-shi, Japan

    Yuuki Kodama

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shimane University, Matsue-shi, Japan

    Yuuka Endoh

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YK conceived and designed the experiments. YK and YE performed the experiments. YK wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yuuki Kodama.

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284_2023_3590_MOESM1_ESM.tif

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Figure S1. Cytoplasmic streaming in P. bursaria after mixing with NIES-2169 1 h (upper) and 48 h (lower). Micrographs were taken at 10-s intervals at each time point. One hour after mixing with NIES-2169, numerous DV membranes containing NIES-2169 had formed. These DV membranes were rapidly flowing in the cytoplasm due to host cytoplasmic streaming. The black arrow indicates a representative DV. Forty-eight hours after mixing, the vacuoles enclosing multiple NIES-2169 were not flowing by the cytoplasmic streaming, because the vacuole was localized beneath the host cell cortex. Black arrowhead and double black arrowhead show representative vacuoles. This attachment of the vacuole beneath the host cell cortex is a typical feature of PV membrane. Because the host cytoplasmic streaming was suppressed compared to 1 h after the algal mixing, not only the vacuoles enclosing NIES-2169, but also other vacuoles or crystals were barely moving (Data not shown). On the other hand, when 1N cells were ingested, the initial DV membrane flowed by the host cytoplasmic streaming, and the membrane that later encloses a single 1N cell localized beneath the host cell cortex and did not flow as shown in [7]. Ma macronucleus.

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Kodama, Y., Endoh, Y. Comparative Analyses of the Symbiotic Associations of the Host Paramecium bursaria with Free-Living and Native Symbiotic Species of Chlorella. Curr Microbiol 81, 66 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03590-9

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