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Lipogenesis in the intact coral Pocillopora capitata and its isolated zooxanthellae: Evidence for a light-driven carbon cycle between symbiont and host

Lipogenesis in the intact coral Pocillopora capitata and its isolated zooxanthellae: Evidence for... 227 44 44 3 3 J. S. Patton S. Abraham A. A. Benson Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla California USA Bruce Lyon Memorial Research Laboratory Children's Hospital Medical Center of Northern California Oakland California USA Perter Bent Brigham Hospital Harvard Medical School 02115 Boston Massachusetts USA Abstract Surface tissue of the reef coral Pocillopora capitata contained approximately 34% lipid on a dry weight basis. Of this, 75% was storage lipid (wax ester and triglyceride) and 25% structural (phospholipid, galactolipid, etc.). Based on chlorophyll a : lipid ratios of intact coral and isolated zooxanthellae, it was determined that over 90% of the storage lipid resided in the host tissue. One half of the structural lipids was found in the host and the other in the symbiotic algae. Gentle fractionation of coral tissue indicated that zooxanthellae possessed less than 14% of the total coral protein. Coral tips and isolated zooxanthellae were incubated with sodium acetate-1- 14 C in light and dark to obtain lipogenic rates and proportions of fatty acids and lipid classes synthesized. The rate of lipid synthesis from acetate-1- 14 C by intact coral was stimulated three-fold in the light (1200 lux), which indicated that the majority of coral lipogenesis occurred in the zooxanthellae. Intact coral triglycerides contained ca. 68% of the 14 C-activity and wax esters ca. 21%. Zooxanthellae isolated by the Water Pik technique synthesized negligible amounts of wax ester, which implied that wax ester synthesis was a property of the animal tissue. Isolated zooxanthellae and intact coral synthesized identical triglyceride fatty acids from acetate-1- 14 C. This study provides evidence for a carbon cycle between host and symbiont whereby the zooxanthellae take up host-derived carbon (probably in the form of acetate), synthesize fatty acids using their photosynthetically derived energy, and return the lipid to the host where it appears as wax ester and triglyceride. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Marine Biology Springer Journals

Lipogenesis in the intact coral Pocillopora capitata and its isolated zooxanthellae: Evidence for a light-driven carbon cycle between symbiont and host

Marine Biology , Volume 44 (3) – Sep 1, 1977

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References (47)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 1977 by Springer-Verlag
Subject
Life Sciences; Biomedicine general; Oceanography; Ecology; Microbiology; Zoology
ISSN
0025-3162
eISSN
1432-1793
DOI
10.1007/BF00387705
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

227 44 44 3 3 J. S. Patton S. Abraham A. A. Benson Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla California USA Bruce Lyon Memorial Research Laboratory Children's Hospital Medical Center of Northern California Oakland California USA Perter Bent Brigham Hospital Harvard Medical School 02115 Boston Massachusetts USA Abstract Surface tissue of the reef coral Pocillopora capitata contained approximately 34% lipid on a dry weight basis. Of this, 75% was storage lipid (wax ester and triglyceride) and 25% structural (phospholipid, galactolipid, etc.). Based on chlorophyll a : lipid ratios of intact coral and isolated zooxanthellae, it was determined that over 90% of the storage lipid resided in the host tissue. One half of the structural lipids was found in the host and the other in the symbiotic algae. Gentle fractionation of coral tissue indicated that zooxanthellae possessed less than 14% of the total coral protein. Coral tips and isolated zooxanthellae were incubated with sodium acetate-1- 14 C in light and dark to obtain lipogenic rates and proportions of fatty acids and lipid classes synthesized. The rate of lipid synthesis from acetate-1- 14 C by intact coral was stimulated three-fold in the light (1200 lux), which indicated that the majority of coral lipogenesis occurred in the zooxanthellae. Intact coral triglycerides contained ca. 68% of the 14 C-activity and wax esters ca. 21%. Zooxanthellae isolated by the Water Pik technique synthesized negligible amounts of wax ester, which implied that wax ester synthesis was a property of the animal tissue. Isolated zooxanthellae and intact coral synthesized identical triglyceride fatty acids from acetate-1- 14 C. This study provides evidence for a carbon cycle between host and symbiont whereby the zooxanthellae take up host-derived carbon (probably in the form of acetate), synthesize fatty acids using their photosynthetically derived energy, and return the lipid to the host where it appears as wax ester and triglyceride.

Journal

Marine BiologySpringer Journals

Published: Sep 1, 1977

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