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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature Microbiology

Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress

  • Amin R. Mohamed1,2
  • Michael A. Ochsenkühn3
  • Trent D. Haydon4
  • Salah Abdelrazig3
  • Lisa S. Y. Coe3
  • Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño4
  • Woonkee S. Jo5
  • Alan R. Healy5
  • David Abrego6,7
  • Jean‐Baptiste Raina8
  • John A. Burt4,9,10
  • Shady A. Amin11,12,13
13 affiliations
  1. 1Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [email protected]
  2. 2Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt. [email protected]
  3. 3Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  4. 4Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  5. 5Chemistry Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  6. 6Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia
  7. 7Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  8. 8Department of Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
  9. 9Marine Biology Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  10. 10Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  11. 11Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [email protected]
  12. 12Marine Microbiomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [email protected]
  13. 13Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [email protected]
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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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{mohamed2026steroid,
  title = {{Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress}},
  author = {Amin R. Mohamed and Michael A. Ochsenkühn and Trent D. Haydon and Salah Abdelrazig and Lisa S. Y. Coe and Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño and Woonkee S. Jo and Alan R. Healy and David Abrego and Jean‐Baptiste Raina and John A. Burt and Shady A. Amin},
  journal = {Nature Microbiology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress
AU  - Amin R. Mohamed
AU  - Michael A. Ochsenkühn
AU  - Trent D. Haydon
AU  - Salah Abdelrazig
AU  - Lisa S. Y. Coe
AU  - Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño
AU  - Woonkee S. Jo
AU  - Alan R. Healy
AU  - David Abrego
AU  - Jean‐Baptiste Raina
AU  - John A. Burt
AU  - Shady A. Amin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - Nature Microbiology
DO  - 10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2058-5276
ER  -