Corallicolids: The elusive coral-infecting apicomplexans

Keeling, Patrick J.; Mathur, Varsha; Kwong, Waldan K.

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009845

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…4i) 72,156 and by using molecular tools. 65 While these organisms are not associated with pathology, their role in coral health is unclear. 179 Finally, the coral skeleton is known to harbor numerous and diverse endolithic organisms such as algae 141 and fungi, 49 which are often present with no reaction or may cause calicoblast hypertrophy and increased CARP production when abundant.…”

Section: Pigment Changes Of Coral Tissuementioning

confidence: 99%

An introduction to lesions and histology of scleractinian corals

et al. 2023

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Stony corals (Scleractinia) are in the Phylum Cnidaria (cnidae referring to various types of stinging cells). They may be solitary or colonial, but all secrete an external, supporting aragonite skeleton. Large, colonial members of this phylum are responsible for the accretion of coral reefs in tropical and subtropical waters that form the foundations of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems. Coral reefs worldwide, but particularly in the Caribbean, are experiencing unprecedented levels of disease, resulting in reef degradation. Most coral diseases remain poorly described and lack clear case definitions, while the etiologies and pathogenesis are even more elusive. This introductory guide is focused on reef-building corals and describes basic gross and microscopic lesions in these corals in order to serve as an invitation to other veterinary pathologists to play a critical role in defining and advancing the field of coral pathology.

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Section: Pigment Changes Of Coral Tissuementioning

confidence: 99%

An introduction to lesions and histology of scleractinian corals

et al. 2023

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“…In addition to Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria, corals are home to a plethora of other microorganisms, including viruses, archaea, fungi (Bourne et al 2016 , Ainsworth et al 2017 , Clerissi et al 2018 ), and microeukaryotes, including the apicomplexan-like Chromerids (Moore et al 2008 , Janouškovec et al 2012 ) and the recently discovered apicomplexans Corallicolids (Kwong et al 2019 , Keeling et al 2021 ). Below is a brief discussion of these mostly cryptic organisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This taxon belongs to corallicolids (Kwong et al 2019 ), a lineage that may be ubiquitous in the oceans including in metagenomes of deep-sea corals (Vohsen et al 2020 ). Little is known about the biology of corallicolids or their influence on coral health/fitness, but it is unlikely that corallicolids have a mutualistic relationship with corals (Keeling et al 2021 ). A recent transcriptomic study revealed that the coral host response to C. velia inoculation was similar to that of parasite or pathogen infection in vertebrates, suggesting that their relationship with corals is not beneficial (Mohamed et al 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The coral microbiome: towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coral–microbiota interactions

Mohamed

Ochsenkühn

Moustafa

et al. 2023

FEMS Microbiology Reviews

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Corals live in a complex, multi-partite symbiosis with diverse microbes across kingdoms, some of which are implicated in vital functions, such as those related to resilience against climate change. However, knowledge gaps and technical challenges limit our understanding of the nature and functional significance of complex symbiotic relationships within corals. Here, we provide an overview of the complexity of the coral microbiome focusing on taxonomic diversity and functions of well-studied and cryptic microbes. Mining the coral literature indicate that while corals collectively harbor a third of all marine bacterial phyla, known bacterial symbionts and antagonists of corals represent a minute fraction of this diversity and that these taxa cluster into select genera, suggesting selective evolutionary mechanisms enabled these bacteria to gain a niche within the holobiont. Recent advances in coral microbiome research aimed at leveraging microbiome manipulation to increase coral's fitness to help mitigate heat stress-related mortality are discussed. Then, insights into the potential mechanisms through which microbiota can communicate with and modify host responses are examined by describing known recognition patterns, potential microbially-derived coral epigenome effector proteins and coral gene regulation. Finally, the power of omics tools used to study corals are highlighted with emphasis on an integrated host-microbiota multiomics framework to understand the underlying mechanisms during symbiosis and climate change-driven dysbiosis.

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“…This is followed by a comprehensive overview of reductive plastid evolution, as exemplified by Apicomplexa and their relatives sensu lato [5]. Eric Salomaki and Martin Kolísko introduce the apicoplast, the relic plastid of apicomplexan parasites (e.g., Plasmodium, Toxoplasma), and summarize current knowledge about its origin, with special emphasis on the early branching gregarines and corallicolids, a recently described group of non-photosynthetic coral symbionts that still encode part of the chlorophyll synthesis pathway in their plastid genomes [5][6][7]. In addition, they focus on the sister groups to apicomplexan parasites, including chromerids [8], their close parasitic relative Piridium sociabile [9], and the early-branching, gregarine-like parasite Platyproteum [9].…”

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confidence: 99%