Naslov
Value of the Hydra model system for studying symbiosis

Autori
Kovačević, Goran

Izvornik
The International journal of developmental biology (0214-6282) 56 (2012); 627-635

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, pregledni rad, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Hydra viridissima; symbiosis; zoochlorellae; endosymbiont; adaptations

Sažetak
Green Hydra is used as a classical example for explaining symbiosis in schools as well as an excellent resesarch model. Indeed the cosmopolitan green Hydra (Hydra viridissima) provides a potent experimental framework to investigate the symbiotic relationships between a complex eumetazoan organism and a unicellular photoautotrophic green algae named Chlorella. Chlorella populates a single somatic cell type, the gastrodermal myoepithelial cells (also named digestive cells) and the oocyte at the time of sexual reproduction. This symbiotic relationship is stable, well determined and provides biological advantages to the algal symbionts, but also to green Hydra over the related non-symbiotic Hydra i.e. brown hydra. These advantages likely result from the bidirectional flow of metabolites between the host and the symbiont. Moreover genetic flow through horizontal gene transfer might also participate in the establishment of these selective advantages. Jolley and Smith showed that the reproductive rate of the algae increases dramatically outside of Hydra cells, although this endosymbiont isolation is debated. Recently it became possible to keep different species of endosymbionts isolated from green hydra in stable and permanent cultures and compare them to Chlorella species that are free-living Chlorella species. Future studies testing metabolic relationships and genetic flow should help elucidate the mechanisms that support the maintenance of symbiosis in a eumtazoan species.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

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