DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14863120
title: Supplementary information accompanying: The influence of symbiont identity on the proteomic and metabolomic responses of the model cnidarian Aiptasia to thermal stress

description: Abstract

We examined the effects of symbiont identity and heat stress on the host metabolome and proteome in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Exaiptasia diaphana (‘Aiptasia’) was inoculated with its homologous (i.e., native) symbiont Breviolum minutum or a heterologous (i.e., non-native) symbiont (Symbiodinium microadriaticum; Durusdinium trenchii) and thermally stressed. Integrated metabolome and proteome analyses characterised host thermal responses between symbioses, with clear evidence of enhanced nutritional deprivation and cellular stress in hosts harbouring heterologous symbionts following temperature stress. Host metabolomes were partially distinct at the control temperature, however thermal stress caused metabolomes of anemones containing the two heterologous symbionts to become more alike and more distinct from those containing B. minutum. While these patterns could be partly explained by innate symbiont-specific differences, they may also reflect differences in symbiont density, as under control conditions D. trenchii attained 60% and S. microadriaticum 15% of the density attained by B. minutum, and at elevated temperature only D. trenchii-colonised anemones bleached (60% loss). Our findings add to a growing literature that highlights the physiological limits of partner switching as a means of adaptation to global warming. However, we also provide tentative evidence for improved metabolic functioning with a heterologous symbiont (D. trenchii) after sustained symbiosis.

Supplementary information

The Supplementary Information consists of detailed methods and Supplementary Figures S1–S4. Supplementary Figure captions can be found below. The Supplementary Tables contain the following:  

Supplementary Table S1. Loadings of proteins in both model components 1 and 2 generated by DIABLO analysis including Symbiodinium microadriaticum.

Supplementary Table S2. Loadings of metabolites in both model components 1 and 2 generated by DIABLO analysis including Symbiodinium microadriaticum.

Supplementary Table S3. Full list of metabolites and corresponding HMDB numbers identified in Aiptasia host metabolomes.

Supplementary Table S4. Full table of differentially abundant proteins in response to heat stress (ramping to 32 °C) for Aiptasia containing different symbiont species (i.e., Breviolum minutum, Durusdinium trenchii or Symbiodinium microadriaticum; n = 5). Colour scale indicates increased (red) or decreased (blue) expression in the heat stressed host compared to control.

Supplementary Table S5. Full table of differentially abundant proteins and log2 fold-changes in Aiptasia containing different symbiont species (i.e., Symbiodinium microadriaticum, Breviolum minutum, or Durusdinium trenchii) under control (25 °C) and heat stress conditions (ramping to 32 °C; n = 5). Colour scale indicates increased (red) or decreased (blue) expression in the heat stressed host compared to control.

Supplementary Table S6. Differentially abundant metabolites and proteins (by gene name) in response to heat stress (ramping to 32 °C) for Aiptasia containing different symbiont species (i.e., Breviolum minutum, Durusdinium trenchii or Symbiodinium microadriaticum) associated with pathways as identified by integrated pathway analysis (n = 5).

Supplementary Table S7. Differentially abundant metabolites and proteins (by gene name) in Aiptasia containing different symbiont species (i.e., Symbiodinium microadriaticum, Breviolum minutum, or Durusdinium trenchii) under control (25 °C) and heat stress conditions (ramping to 32 °C) associated with pathways as identified by integrated pathway analysis (n = 5).

Supplementary Table S8. Loadings of proteins in both model components 1 and 2 generated by DIABLO analysis.

Supplementary Table S9. Loadings of metabolites in both model components 1 and 2 generated by DIABLO analysis.