Chytrids hinder algal biofuel cultivation by causing population crashes, but little is understood about how and under what conditions chytrids infect algae. Recently, researchers have found that the chytrid Paraphysoderma sedebokerense is a facultative algal parasite of Haematococcus pluvialis, whose trophic strategy is regulated by dissolved organic carbon availability. The molecular changes underlying its switch in trophic strategies and subsequent physiologies remain unknown. The team proposes to detail the transcriptomic and metabolic aspects of ecological interactions between the algal host and chytrid.
Proposer: Rhona Stuart, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Proposal: Flipping the switch: the molecular mechanisms underlying trophic strategy versatility in parasitic chytrids