Research project: Metabolic interactions in planktonic photosymbioses

The project aims at investigating the metabolic interactions in planktonic photosymbioses using a combination of omics approaches and high-resolution imaging. Photosymbiosis between single-celled hosts and microalgae is common in oceanic plankton, especially in oligotrophic surface waters. However, the functioning and physiology of this ecologically important cell-cell interaction and the subcellular mechanisms allowing the host to accommodate and benefit from its endosymbionts remain enigmatic. The project will address different research questions: How does a heterotrophic cell take control and domesticate a photosynthetic cell? What are the structural and metabolic controls? What are the metabolic services provided by the chloroplast to a host? Different models of photosymbiosis in unicellular organisms will be studied in order to compare mechanisms on an evolutionary perspective: the oceanic symbiosis between radiolarians and microalgae widely distributed in the oceans, and the freshwater symbiotic association between the ciliate Paramecium and the microalga Chlorella.
The project will mainly use a combination of quantitative single-cell structural and chemical imaging techniques (3D electron microscopy, nanoSIMS, Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence) to study the structural organization, physiology and trophic status of the microalgal cells in symbiosis within their host and in free-living grown in culture medium. Complementary approaches such as metabolomics, in vivo photophysiology and proteomics will also be conducted to have a comprehensive understanding of metabolic interactions.

Symbiosis between Acantharia (unicellular host) and intracellular microalgae (yellow cells) is widespread and abundant in the surface ocean. The host builds a complex mineral skeleton.

Curriculum vitae

Publications (available on ResearchGate)

Uwizeye C, Mars Brisbin M, Gallet B, Chevalier F, LeKieffre C, Schieber LN, Falconet D, Wangpraseurt D, Schertel L, Stryhanyuk H, Musat N, Mitarai S, Schwab Y, Finazzi G, Decelle J (2020) Cytoklepty in the plankton: A host strategy to optimize the bioenergetic machinery of endosymbiotic algae. DOI

Decelle J, Veronesi G, Gallet B, Stryhanyuk H, Benettoni P, Schmidt M, Tucoulou R, Passarelli M, Bohic S, Clode P, Musat N (2020) Subcellular chemical imaging: New perspectives in cell biology. Trends in Cell Biology, 2020, 30(3): 173-188

Uwizeye C, Decelle J, Jouneau PH, Gallet B, Keck JB, Moriscot C, Chevalier F, Schieber LN, Templin R, Curien G, Schwab Y, Schoehn G, Zeeman CS, Falconet D, Finazzi G (2020) In-cell quantitative structural imaging of phytoplankton using 3D electron microscopy. DOI

Decelle J, Stryhanyuk H, Gallet B, Veronesi G, Schmidt M, Balzano S, Marro S, Uwizeye C, Jouhet J, Maréchal E, Lupette J, Schwab Y, Schieber N, Tucoulou R, Richnow H, Finazzi G, Musat N (2019) Algal remodeling in a ubiquitous planktonic photosymbiosis. Current Biology, 2019, 29(6): 1-11

Hansen PJ, Anderson R, Stoecker DK, Decelle J, Altenburger A, Blossom HE, Drumm K, Mitra A, Flynn KJ (2019) Chapter: Mixotrophy among freshwater and marine protists. Encyclopedia of Microbiology, 4^th Edition, 2019. DOI

Dittami SM, Arboleda E, Auguet JC, Bigalke A, Briand E, Cárdenas P, Cardini U, Decelle J, Engelen A, Eveillard D et al (2019) A community perspective on the concept of marine holobionts: Current status, challenges, and future directions. PeerJPreprints, 2019

Decelle J, Carradec Q, Pochon X, Henry N, Romac S, Mahé F, Dunthorn M, Kourlaiev A, Voolstra C.R., Winker P, and de Vargas C (2018) Worldwide occurrence and activity of the reef-building coral symbiont Symbiodinium in the open ocean. Current Biology, 2018, 28(22): 3625-3633

Meng M, Marchet C, Corre E, Peterlongo P, Alberti A, Da Silva C, Wincker P, Pelletier E, Probert I, Decelle J, Le Crom S, Not F and BittnerL. (2018) A de novo approach to disentangle partner identity and function in holobiont systems. Microbiome6: 105

Jiang H, Kilburn MR, Decelle J, Musat N (2016) NanoSIMS chemical imaging combined with correlative microscopy for biological sample analysis. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 2016, 41: 130-135

Mordret S, Romac S, Henry N, Colin S, Carmichael M, Berney C, Audic S, Richter DJ, Pochon X, de Vargas C, Decelle J (2015) The symbiotic life of Symbiodinium in the open ocean within a new species of calcifying ciliate (Tiarina sp.). The ISME journal doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.211

De Vargas C, Audic S, Henry N, Decelle J, Mahé F, Romac S et al. (2015) Eukaryotic plankton diversity in the sunlit ocean. Science. 348: 1261605

Lima-Mendez G, Faust K, Henry N, Decelle J, Colin S et al. (2015) Determinants of community structure in the global plankton interactome. Science. 348: 1262073

Decelle J and Not F (2015) Acantharia. Encyclopedia of Life SciencesDecelle J, Christen R, Romac S, Stern RF, Bendif EM, Zingone A et al. (2015) PhytoREF: a reference database of the plastidial 16S rRNA gene of photosynthetic eukaryotes with curated taxonomy. Molecular Ecology Resources 15: 1435-1445

Decelle J, Colin S and Foster RA Chapter. Photosymbiosis in marine planktonic protists. In Marine Protists: Diversity and Dynamics (Ed.: Ohtsuka S, Suzaki,T, Horiguchi T, Suzuki N and Not F), Springer, 2015, 465–500

Balzano S, Corre E, Decelle J, Sierra R, Wincker P, Da Silva C, Poulain J, Pawlowski J, Not F (2015) Transcriptome analyses to investigate symbiotic relationships between marine protists. Frontiers in microbiology 6 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00098

Biard T, Suzuki N, Pillet L, Poirier C, Decelle J, Not F (2015) Integrative taxonomy of the Collodaria (Polycystinea, Radiolaria). Protist 166: 374-388

Andersen RA, Bailey JC, Decelle J, Probert I (2015)Phaeocystis rex sp. nov. (Phaeocystales, Prymnesiophyceae): a new solitary species that produces a multilayered scale cell covering. European Journal of Phycology 50: 207-222

Decelle J, Romac S, Sasaki E, Not F, Mahé F (2014) Intracellular diversity of the V4 and V9 regions of the 18S rRNA in marine protists (Radiolarians) assessed by high-throughput sequencing. PLoS ONE 9(8):e104297

Probert I, Siano R, Poirier C, Decelle J, Biard T, Tuji A, Suzuki N, Not F (2014) Brandtodinium gen. nov. and B. nutricula comb. Nov. (Dinophyceae), a dinoflagellate commonly found in symbiosis with polycystine radiolarians. Journal of Phycology 50: 388-399

Decelle J (2013) New perspectives on the functioning and evolution of photosymbiosis in plankton: Mutualism or parasitism? Communicative & Integrative Biology 6:4 (Invited article)

Decelle J, Martin P, Paborstava K, Pond DW, Tarling G, Mahé F, de Vargas C, Lampitt R, Not F (2013) Diversity, ecology and biogeochemistry of cyst-forming Acantharia (Radiolaria) in the oceans. PLoS ONE 8(1): e53598

Lejzerowicz F, Esling P, Majewski W, Szczucinski W, Decelle J, Obadia C, Martinez-Arbizu P, Pawlowski J (2013) Ancient DNA complements microfossil record in deep-sea subsurface sediments. Biology Letters 9 (4): 20130283

Sierra R, Matz MV, Aglyamova G, Pillet L, Decelle J, Not F, de Vargas C, Pawlowski J (2013) Deep relationships of Rhizaria revealed by phylogenomics: A farewell to Haeckel’s Radiolaria. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 67: 53-59

Guillou L, Bachar D, Audic S, Bass D, Berney C, Bittner L, Boutte C, Burgaud G, de Vargas C, Decelle J, del Campo J, Dolan JR, Dunthorn M, Edvardsen B, Holzmann M, Kooistra W, Lara E, Le Bescot N, Logares R, Mahe F, Massana R, Montresor M, Morard R, Not F, Pawlowski J, Probert I, Sauvadet AL, Siano R, Stoeck T, Vaulot D, Zimmermann P and Christen R. (2013) The Protist Ribosomal Reference database (PR2): A catalog of unicellular eukaryote Small Sub-Unit rRNA sequences with curated taxonomy. Nucleic Acids Research 41: 597-604

Decelle J, Probert I, Bittner L, Desdevises Y, Colin S, de Vargas, Galí M, Simó R, Not F (2012) An original mode of symbiosis in open ocean plankton. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 109: 18000-18005

Decelle J, Siano R, Probert I, Poirier C, Not F (2012) Multiple microalgal partners in symbiosis with the Acantharia Acanthochiasma sp. (Radiolaria). Symbiosis 58: 233-244

Decelle J, Suzuki N, Mahé F, de Vargas C, Not F (2012) Molecular phylogeny and morphological evolution of the Acantharia (Radiolaria) Protist 163: 435-450

Pawlowski J, Adl S, Audic S, Bass D, Belbahri L, Berney C, Bowser SS, Cepicka I, Decelle J, Dunthorn M, Fiore-Donno AM, Gile GH, Holzmann M, Jahn R, Jirku M, Keeling PJ, Kostka M, Kudryavtsev A, Lara E, Lukeš J, Mann DG, Mitchell EAD, Nitsche F, Romeralo M, Saunders GW, Simpson AGB, Smirnov AV, Spouge J, Stern RF, Stoeck T, Zimmermann J, Schindel D, de Vargas C. (2012) CBOL Protist Working Group: Barcoding eukaryotic richness beyond the animal, plant and fungal kingdoms. PLoS Biology 10(11): e1001419

Karsenti E et al. (2011) A holistic approach to marine eco-systems biology. PLoS Biology, 9(10): e1001177

Decelle J, Andersen AC, Hourdez S (2010) Morphological adaptations to chronic hypoxia in deep-sea decapod crustaceans from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. Marine Biology 157: 1259-1269

Ph.D thesis:
Evolution and Ecology of photosymbiosis in Acantharia (Radiolaria).
PhD defense, December 2012 with Prof. David A. Caron from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, (USA) and Dr. Fabrice Vavre from the University of Lyon (France) as main referees "rapporteur".