Multi-omics analysis reveals cross-organism interactions in coral holobiont

Abstract

Corals create an ecosystem, called a holobiont, with intracellular algae (zooxanthellae) and resident bacteria. Zooxanthellae and some bacteria play major roles in the physiological properties of the coral host. However, because of the difficulties in experimental verification of cross-organism interactions, the mechanisms underpinning these interactions are largely unknown. To address this, we here generated and then analyzed multi-omics datasets for corals, zooxanthellae, and bacteria collected at Okinawa, Japan, from November 2014 to September 2016. Using cross-organism co-expression analysis, we successfully characterized the host-alga relationship in the coral holobiont. Specifically, we observed that the coral host dominates the zooxanthellae. The multi-omics analysis also suggested that infection with coral-associated bacteria Endozoicomonas likely involves coral-like ephrin ligands, triggering an immune response of the coral host. This study highlights the potential of the multi-omics approach to elucidate coral-microbe interactions.