Different strategies of energy storage in cultured and freshly isolated Symbiodinium sp.

The endosymbiotic relationship between cnidarians and Symbiodinium is critical for the survival of coral reefs. In this study, we developed a protocol to rapidly and freshly separate Symbiodinium from corals and sea anemones. Furthermore, we compared these freshly-isolated Symbiodinium with cultured Symbiodinium to investigate host and Symbiodinium interaction.

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of the hepcidin gene from the convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) and its expression pattern in response to lipopolysaccharide challenge.

The hepcidin gene is widely expressed in many fish species and functions as an antimicrobial peptide, suggesting that it plays an important role in the innate immune system of fish. In the present study, the Amatitlania nigrofasciata hepcidin gene (AN-hepc) was cloned from the liver and its expression during an immune response was characterized. The results of quantitative PCR and RT-PCR showed that the AN-hepc transcript was most abundant in the liver.