Endosymbiont escape as a mechanism to increase the rate of endosymbiosis formation

Abstract

This file contains the data and R script information used to generate the figures for the following manuscript: Title: Endosymbiont escape as a mechanism to increase the rate of endosymbiosis formation Authors: Santosh Sathe, Simon Beier and Lutz Becks. Journal: Symbiosis. 95, Pages: 183–193 Year: 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-025-01038-1

A brief summary of the work: Endosymbiosis, which led to the formation of mitochondria and plastids, and subsequently to the development of eukaryotic cells, plays a crucial role in the evolution of diverse life on Earth. Understanding how two independently reproducing organisms cooperate, avoid conflict, and integrate to reproduce as a single unit is essential to understand the evolution of endosymbiosis. For this we use the well-known experimental system involving the ciliate host Paramecium and Chlorella algae, where in some species, Chlorella forms stable endosymbiosis, while in others, Chlorella cells serve only as prey. Our results reveal a previously unexplored mechanism whereby algal cells escape from the host cells to allow horizontal transfer to previously non-symbiotic hosts, accelerating the spread of endosymbiosis.