Ecstatic to announce I have received a Marie Curie PostDoc Fellowship to work in the @Guse_Lab and understand how immunity regulates symbiosis in Aiptasia and corals. Thanks to @MSCActions for funding important research! 🧑‍🔬🪸 #Aiptasia

Together these data suggest RGD-binding integrins facilitate the uptake of symbionts but not non-symbiotic algae. Huge kudos goes out to.@Mela_Doerr and all authors for these amazing insights. Integrins rock!.

Finally, we over expressed the phagocytic RGD-binding integrins in HEK cells, which increased their capacity to phagocytose symbionts, but not non-symbionts. Mutation of the integrin binding site abolished the increase in phagocytosis.

Using RGD peptides to compete with integrin binding sites we found that addition of RGD inhibited the uptake of symbionts into Aiptasia and Acropora coral larvae, but had no effect on non-symbiotic algae or in the non-symbiotic anemone Nematostella.

By comparing cnidarian integrins with vertebrates we could identify alpha integrins that are similar to those that bind to RGD peptides, which are known to facilitate phagocytosis in other systems. This alpha integrin is expressed in endodermal tissue where symbiosis takes place

We show that symbionts alter the expression of integrins and downstream signalling components in endodermal cells that take up symbionts, but not non-symbiotic algae.

🚨New @Guse_Lab Preprint Alert!🚨 Integrins are key receptors involved in the phagocytosis of symbionts in cnidarians. This sheds light on the mechanisms of symbiosis establishment in coral reefs. A thread. #coralreef.#aiptasia.#symbiosis

RT @realBenJen: Excited and proud to share our preprint!. A network of glycan sensing controls endosymbiosis in the protist, Paramecium bur….

RT @Guse_Lab: We are hiring!

RT @Guse_Lab: We are also hiring a Postdoc!

Looking forward to another day of talks and meeting amazing researchers from around the world @Ecrs2024 🪸 If you want to chat about mechanisms behind symbiosis come find me today or at the poster session 3 tonight! #ECRS2024

Today we start #ECRS2024 and I'm excited to meet the community and share my research in the @Guse_Lab on immune control of symbiosis establishment! Who else will I see there @Ecrs2024 ?

RT @biorxiv_micrbio: Microscale sampling of the coral gastric cavity reveals a gut-like microbial community #biorx….

Ecstatic to see coral spawning for the first time in Okinawa these past couple days! And truly blessed to have the opportunity to run experiments with the larvae in the coming weeks! 🪸🔬🗾 @Guse_Lab #coralspawn #acropora

RT @scottinthesea: Climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of coral bleaching globally. but why do corals even bleach in….

Research assistant position available in the UK with @Susie__McLaren using Aiptasia to study host-symbiont interactions during development 🥳

RT @CoralMorph: Hi, Friends! We’ve just released 8 new CM photographic prints for sale in our web shop. Purchasing a print is a great way t….

Officially been living in Munich for one year as of today! Been having a blast working on such an interesting model organism. Here's a pic of one of my CRISPR mutant Aiptasia polyps associated with symbionts (red) 😍 #aiptasia #mutant

RT @SymbNET: 📣Interested in the dynamic relationship between hosts and microbes? Save the date for the "@SymbNET International Conference o….

Getting back in the groove of things with my anemone friends after a relaxing break. Here's an image I captured lately of a juvenile Aiptasia polyp "kissing" a larvae 😍