The lipid composition of the marine dinoflagellate Zooxanthella nutricula, a polycystine radiolarian symbiont
The lipid composition of the marine dinoflagellate Zooxanthella nutricula, a polycystine radiolarian symbiont
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Date
2020-12-01
Authors
Graeff, Jori
Journal Title
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Publisher
University Honors College Middle Tennessee State University
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are important primary producers in their marine and freshwater
environments, and they form symbiotic relationships with larger marine organisms.
Previous research has explored symbiotic relationships such as cnidarian symbioses with
Symbiodinium dinoflagellates. However, little research addresses the symbiotic
relationship between radiolarians and their symbionts, such as the marine dinoflagellate
Zooxanthella nutricula. An important aspect of dinoflagellate symbiosis involves the
exchange of metabolites such as the transfer of lipids from the symbiont to the host. This
research aimed to identify the lipid content, particularly that of sterols and fatty acidcontaining
galactolipids, of Z. nutricula. The major sterol identified was 22-
dehydrocholesterol, which does not tend to be a dominant sterol among dinoflagellates.
The major galactolipid was 18:5/18:5 MGDG, and all galactolipids identified were
C18/C18 forms of MGDG and DGDG. These results along with future research about
radiolarian lipids should elucidate the role of sterols and fatty acids in dinoflagellateradiolarian
symbiosis.
Description
Keywords
College of Basic and Applied Sciences,
Zooxanthella nutricula,
dinoflagellate,
symbiosis,
radiolarian,
sterol,
fatty acid,
galactolipid,
lipid