Sugar transporters in coral symbiosis and origin of parasitism

我们的目标是确定共生藻类如何向它们的珊瑚宿主提供糖。珊瑚需要这种藻糖存在，但没有人知道它是如何转移的，所以了解这一关键机制具有非常重要的意义。这项研究的第一个好处将是对两种生物(藻类和珊瑚)如何合作建立像大堡礁这样的栖息地的基本理解。我们还旨在探索珊瑚/藻类的合作是否为寄生虫的起源铺平了道路。第二个关键成果将是确定导致寄生虫出现的确切分子机制。这将有助于我们了解人类疟疾等重要疾病的起源以及牲畜和野生动物的相关感染。

We aim to identify how symbiotic algae feed sugar to their coral hosts. Corals need this algal sugar to exist, but no one knows how it is transferred, so understanding this crucial mechanism is hugely significant. The first benefit of this research will be a fundamental understanding about how two organisms (algae and coral) cooperate to build habitats like the Great Barrier Reef. We also aim to explore whether coral/algal cooperation paved the way for the origin of parasitism. The second key outcome will be to identify the precise molecular mechanism that allowed parasitism to arise. This will benefit us through understanding the origins of important diseases such as human malaria and related infections of livestock and wildlife.