The behaviour of algal cells towards egg capsules of<i>Convoluta roscoffensis</i>and its role in the persistence of the<i>Convoluta</i>-alga symbiosis

Douglas, A. E.; Gooday, Graham W.

doi:10.1080/00071618200650391

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Despite the fact that maternal transmission of algal symbionts has been described in another acoel species (Barneah et al, 2007 ), strict horizontal transmission occurs in S. roscoffensis (Douglas and Gooday, 1982 ) which indicates highly specific (and unknown) mechanisms of recognition and selection of one or a restricted set of algal species among the hundreds if not thousands present in coastal seawater. Provasoli experimentally demonstrated a hierarchical order in competitive efficiency among different algal taxa (including the true symbiont) that he tested in vitro for inducing photosymbiosis.…”

Section: The Biology Of S Roscoffensismentioning

confidence: 99%

The chimerical and multifaceted marine acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis: from photosymbiosis to brain regeneration

et al. 2014

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A remarkable example of biological engineering is the capability of some marine animals to take advantage of photosynthesis by hosting symbiotic algae. This capacity, referred to as photosymbiosis, is based on structural and functional complexes that involve two distantly unrelated organisms. These stable photosymbiotic associations between metazoans and photosynthetic protists play fundamental roles in marine ecology as exemplified by reef communities and their vulnerability to global changes threats. Here we introduce a photosymbiotic tidal acoel flatworm, Symsagittifera roscoffensis, and its obligatory green algal photosymbiont, Tetraselmis convolutae (Lack of the algal partner invariably results in acoel lethality emphasizing the mandatory nature of the photosymbiotic algae for the animal's survival). Together they form a composite photosymbiotic unit, which can be reared in controlled conditions that provide easy access to key life-cycle events ranging from early embryogenesis through the induction of photosymbiosis in aposymbiotic juveniles to the emergence of a functional “solar-powered” mature stage. Since it is possible to grow both algae and host under precisely controlled culture conditions, it is now possible to design a range of new experimental protocols that address the mechanisms and evolution of photosymbiosis. S. roscoffensis thus represents an emerging model system with experimental advantages that complement those of other photosymbiotic species, in particular corals. The basal taxonomic position of S. roscoffensis (and acoels in general) also makes it a relevant model for evolutionary studies of development, stem cell biology and regeneration. Finally, it's autotrophic lifestyle and lack of calcification make S. roscoffensis a favorable system to study the role of symbiosis in the response of marine organisms to climate change (e.g., ocean warming and acidification). In this article we summarize the state of knowledge of the biology of S. roscoffensis and its algal partner from studies dating back over a century, and provide an overview of ongoing research efforts that take advantage of this unique system.

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Section: The Biology Of S Roscoffensismentioning

confidence: 99%

The chimerical and multifaceted marine acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis: from photosymbiosis to brain regeneration

et al. 2014

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“…The sexual reproduction, egg production, and the uptake of algal symbionts by the juveniles of Symsagittifera roscoffensis GRAF 1891 were extensively studied and became a model for specificity studies in this group (Douglas & Gooday 1982;Douglas 1992). All of the symbiotic flatworms studied to date produce aposymbiotic eggs (McCoy & Balzer 2002) apart from the acoel Amphiscolops carvalhoi MARCUS 1952, which was described as having zooxanthellae in internally brooded young (Marcus 1954), implying possible maternal transmission.…”

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confidence: 99%

First evidence of maternal transmission of algal endosymbionts at an oocyte stage in a triploblastic host, with observations on reproduction inWaminoa brickneri(Acoelomorpha)

Barneah

Brickner

Hooge

et al. 2007

Invertebrate Biology

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Abstract. Examination of sexual reproduction in a symbiotic acoelomorph worm, Waminoa brickneri from Eilat (Red Sea), presents the first definitive evidence for maternal transmission of dinoflagellate algal symbionts in a triploblastic organism. Sexually mature worms were removed from the stony coral Plesiastrea laxa and raised in the laboratory. Eggs were detected 18 d after the collection of the worms and hatched 4 d later. Histological sections performed on sexually mature worms showed an ovary with oocytes containing two distinct types of algal endosymbionts within their ooplasm. Transmission electron microscopy corroborated the presence of algal symbionts within the developing embryos. Our findings regarding maternal transmission of symbionts shed new light on the diversity of modes of algal symbiont acquisition known in triploblastic organisms.

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“…Symsagittifera roscoffensis (von Graff 1891) (formerly Convoluta roscoffensis) is a small (5 mm long) acoel flatworm found inter-tidally on beaches in Europe. Adult individuals do not feed but rely on metabolites produced photosynthetically by a symbiotic alga, usually Platymonas convolutae, Tetraselmis convolutae or Tetraselmis tetrathele [1,2]. The resulting green colour is the source of their common name of 'mint-sauce worm'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spermiogenesis in the acoelSymsagittifera roscoffensis: nucleus-plasma membrane contact sites and microtubules

Hayes

Zakrzewski

Levine

et al. 2019

Preprint

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sentence: During spermiogenesis in the acoel flatworm Symsagittifera roscoffensis, two previously unidentified contact sites contribute to the structure of the mature spermatozoon and the axonemal structures show direct continuity between doublet and dense core microtubules. AbstractSymsagittifera roscoffensis is a small marine worm found in the intertidal zone of sandy beaches around the European shores of the Atlantic. S. roscoffensis is a member of the Acoelomorpha, a group of flatworms formerly classified with the Platyhelminthes, but now recognised as Xenacoelomorpha, a separate phylum of disputed affinity. We have used electron microscopy to examine the process of spermiogenesis (the final stage of spermatogenesis) in S. roscoffensis, by which spermatids form highly elongated spermatozoa. Their nuclei are long and thread-like, running most of the cell's length and during the process a pair of flagella are fully incorporated into the cell body. Two previously undescribed inter-organelle contact sites form at different stages of spermiogenesis. Strikingly, there is an extensive nucleus-plasma membrane contact site. Golgi-derived granules containing electrondense filaments line up along the spermatid plasma membrane, undergo a conformational change, and donate material that forms a peri-nuclear layer that cements this contact site. We also show in earlier stage spermatids that the same granules are associated with microtubules, presumably for traffic along the elongating cell. We identify a second spermiogenesis-specific contact site where sheaths engulfing each internalising flagellum contact the nuclear envelope. Finally, detailed studies of the spermatozoon axonemes show that the central keel has varying numbers of microtubules along the length of the cell, and is likely to be a centriole derivative.

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The behaviour of algal cells towards egg capsules ofConvoluta roscoffensisand its role in the persistence of theConvoluta-alga symbiosis

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

The chimerical and multifaceted marine acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis: from photosymbiosis to brain regeneration

The chimerical and multifaceted marine acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis: from photosymbiosis to brain regeneration

First evidence of maternal transmission of algal endosymbionts at an oocyte stage in a triploblastic host, with observations on reproduction inWaminoa brickneri(Acoelomorpha)

Spermiogenesis in the acoelSymsagittifera roscoffensis: nucleus-plasma membrane contact sites and microtubules

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