Cell biology of coral-algal endosymbiosis
My lab is interested in resolving the molecular mechanisms underlying the intracellular coral-algal symbiosis. We are using the emerging model system Aiptasia, a marine sea anemone, as a proxy for corals and combine organismal biology, cell biology, biochemistry, genomics and lipidomics with comparative field work. Specifically, we are interested in the mechanisms of symbiont acquisition/integration and the metabolic dependence of the host.
Keywords
Cell biology / symbiosis / emerging models / phagocytosis / coordination of cell function / nutrient exchange