{
  "abstract": "The coral microbiome is believed to play a crucial role in sustaining corals and enabling adaptation to perturbations. A ubiquitous group of coral-associated bacteria, known as Endozoicomonas, are hypothesized to provide essential metabolites to corals, although detailed dynamics of the interactions between host and microbe are poorly understood. Here multi-omics and laboratory validation experiments reveal that Endozoicomonas encodes genes for the metabolism of coral-derived testosterone and converts ubiquitous cholesterol into testosterone and progesterone, both important steroids that accumulate within the coral holobiont during thermal stress. Field sampling along a natural temperature gradient showed general suppression of coral steroid hormones under thermal stress and during white syndrome manifestation. Provision of testosterone or progesterone to corals during laboratory thermal stress induced transcriptional reprogramming of the coral innate immune response, suggesting microbial involvement in host immune modulation. These findings highlight a previously unrecognized potential mechanism of microbial contribution to coral resilience. Multi-omics and laboratory experiments reveal that a coral-associated bacterium can produce testosterone and progesterone; these two hormones alter the coral host’s innate immune responses during thermal stress.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. amin.mohamed@nyu.edu",
    "Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt. amin.mohamed@nyu.edu",
    "Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates",
    "Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates",
    "Chemistry Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates",
    "Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia",
    "Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia",
    "Department of Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany",
    "Marine Biology Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates",
    "Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates",
    "Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. samin@nyu.edu",
    "Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. samin@nyu.edu",
    "Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. samin@nyu.edu"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Amin R. Mohamed",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8535-7444"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Michael A. Ochsenkühn",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0878-1756"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Trent D. Haydon",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7492-5757"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Salah Abdelrazig",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6231-1267"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Lisa S. Y. Coe",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2244-9058"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9130-2308"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Woonkee S. Jo",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5838-528X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Alan R. Healy",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1231-8353"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "David Abrego",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3311-2730"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Jean‐Baptiste Raina",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7508-0004"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "John A. Burt",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6087-6424"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10,
        11,
        12
      ],
      "name": "Shady A. Amin",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3780-8102"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e56jh6emvepw8.bib",
  "cited_by": 14,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "e56jh6emvepw8",
  "issns": [
    "2058-5276"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223169663",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02494-1.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": "42918855",
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e56jh6emvepw8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:16Z",
      "native_id": "W7223169663",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2303|Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress",
  "title_text": "Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:20Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e56jh6emvepw8",
  "venue": "Nature Microbiology",
  "versions": []
}