Hematodinium sp. is a dinoflagellate parasite that, from a host range perspective, is a generalist, infecting a variety of wild and commercially very valuable crustacean species (Davies et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2017). Parasites use different life cycle and metabolic adaptations to achieve efficient transmission. In the case of Hematodinium sp., transmission, which is achieved via the release of macro- or micro-spores, is timely and tightly synchronised (early spring). Seasonal transmission may be adaptive (beneficial) to the parasite because sporulation in early spring means parasite spores are ready to germinate and become infectious at the time of year that potential new hosts emerge from their burrows to feed, mate and moult.
From a life-cycle perspective, seasonal abiotic cues available to the parasite to synchronise transmission are weak. This is the case for Hematodinium sp. infecting hosts such as Nephrops norvegicus; living at depths to up to 800 m means that abiotic conditions such as day length and temperature do not change throughout the seasons. Instead, the host’s metabolism and immune responses are likely to exhibit seasonal variation and could provide seasonal information to Hematodinium sp.
This project will investigate the parasite-host interactions driving the seasonal timing of parasite progression, replication and sporulation. Furthermore, we will explore the costs/benefits of this timing for parasite transmission and fitness. The following specific objectives are examples of topics the student could focus on:
- To characterise Hematodinium sp. progression from sub-patent to patent levels in Nephrops norvegicus kept in captivity. Proposed methodological approach includes quantification of circulating parasites according to life stages, proteomic and metabolic profiling of the circulating parasites, metabolic profiling of the cell-free haemolymph and transcriptomic analysis of the circulating haemocytes.
- To test the metabolic biosynthetic capabilities of Hematodinium sp. using in-vitro directed experiments and to relate those to the adaptation of the parasite to the host. Specifically, preliminary data have shown than lipids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), are crucial compounds in Hematodinium sp. spore development. We hypothesise that, as occurs in other apicomplexan parasites, PUFA might play a pivotal role in this infection model.
Application forms and Reference Request forms can be downloaded at this link: http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply-0
Completed forms should then be sent to Moira Maron at [Email Address Removed]