With the support of the Moore Foundation, we are currently researching an endosymbiosis between embryos of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and an algal symbiont that lives inside its egg capsules (Oophila amblystomatis). This association has been investigated for over 125 years, and is an established mutualism. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that the algae was surprisingly discovered to enter embryonic host tissues and cells. This is the first example of a beneficial microbe becoming an endosymbiont in a vertebrate host. Past research visualized these algal cells through the auto-fluorescence of their pigments, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fluorescent in situ hybridizations (FISH). We are now proposing to expand our in vitro and in vivo imaging techniques to employ novel visualization methodologies. These will answer lingering questions about the routes of algal entry, the fate of the algae, and the transfer of metabolites from symbiont to host. 

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For more information check:

Ryan Kerney, Eunsoo Kim, Roger P. Hangarter, Aaron A. Heiss, Cory D.Bishop, Brian K. Hall. Intracellular invasion of green algae in a salamander host. Proc Nat Acad Sci 108, 6497–6502 (2011).

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https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/research-posts/salamander-symbiosis-stresses-green-algae/

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https://www.bigelow.org/news/articles/2020-08-05.html