Researchers have identified a new pathway by which sugar is released by symbiotic algae. This pathway involves the largely overlooked cell wall, showing that this structure not only protects the cell but plays an important role in symbiosis and carbon circulation in the ocean.
It is widely known that microalgae enjoy a symbiotic relationship with cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones. The algae use the sunlight to produce sugars and other carbohydrates and pass them on to the coral. In return, the coral provides nutrients and shelter to the algae. This explains why fertile coral reefs form in the nutrient-poor tropical oceans and partially addresses the Darwin paradox.
"We discovered that the release of sugar occurs when the algal cell begins degrading its own cell wall," explains Shinichiro Maruyama, lead-author of the research and an associate professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Frontier Sciences."This breakdown of the cell wall happens even when a symbiotic host is absent and gets enhanced when conditions become more acidic.
The researchers also found the sugar release is mediated by the enzyme cellulase, which is known for its usage in breaking down the cell walls in land plants. When the alga gets treated with a cellulase inhibitor, the amount of sugar released outside of the cell decreases, indicating that the degradation of sugar chains by cellulase is directly related to the increase in sugar release in acidic conditions.
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Researchers unearth a new process by which algae pass on nutrients to their coral hostResearchers have identified a new pathway by which sugar is released by symbiotic algae. This pathway involves the largely overlooked cell wall, showing that this structure not only protects the cell but plays an important role in symbiosis and carbon circulation in the ocean. The findings were reported in the journal eLife on August 18, 2023.
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