Results

Can we decouple cell cycle synchrony in A. elegantissima and S. muscatinei?

To determine the effect of nutrition on host and symbionts cell cycles, anemones were exposed to four light and feeding treatments. Accurate data could only be obtained from the G1 and G2 cell cycle phases so these were used to determine the effect of the treatments on cell cycle synchrony.



Figure 2. Relative percentage (mean ± SE; n = 4) of the G1 (A) and G2/M (B) phases of host and symbiont cells in fed/unfed and light/dark conditions.



G1 and G2 cell cycle phases showed that food only had a significant effect on host G1 and G2/M cells. Neither food nor light affected the symbiont G1 or G2/M cell cycle phase.






Table 1. Correlation of the percentage of A. elegantissima and S. muscatinei cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.



Table 2. Correlation of the percentage of A. elegantissima and S. muscatinei cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle.



Correlation analysis from the light and feeding experiment showed no significant relationship between the G1 phase cells in any of the 4 treatments (Table 1). This suggests that growth rates were not synchronized. However, the small number of replicates in each treatment (n = 4) may have masked any treatment effects. Cells in the G2/M phase showed high correlation coefficients in host and symbionts cells that were both exposed to sunlight and fed and those that were not fed or exposed to sunlight. However, p values were not significant (Table 2).

Page Updated 06.12.2012