9321433 Stochaj The objective of this Research Fellowship in Marine biotechnology is to apply molecular techniques to the investigation of interactions between host and endosymbiont in a cnidarian/algal symbiosis. Using the Aiptasia pallida/Symbiodinium sp. symbiosis, this project will examine interactions between the alga and the host at the levels of controlled protein and RNA synthesis. The project represents an interdisciplinary approach to further our knowledge on interactions in cnidarian/algal symbioses. Current physiological and biochemical knowledge suggests that the host regulates growth, release of metabolites and possibly the metabolism of the algal endosymbiont. The interaction between the host and symbiont on the molecular level will be examined on the molecular level in order to understand what causes the physiological changes noted in the algal endosymbiont and how the host may be involved in regulating these changes. ***
