Coral health and survival largely depend on the interaction between the host coral, a photosynthetic symbiont algae, and an associated community of micro-organisms. Hence, constructing a genetic dataset of the entire coral community, or so-called the coral holobiont, is essential for understanding their molecular interactions. 
Dr. Chuya Shinzato of the Marine Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and his collaborators at Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), the University of Tokyo have successfully sequenced the genetic information oft he Porites australiensis coral and its symbionts. The result of this research was published in the online journal PLOS ONE on January 16, 2014. Read more here!… More:
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