Transcriptome of the aeolid nudibranch Berghia stephanieae in symbiotic and aposymbiotic states

The aeolid nudibranch Berghia stephanieae belongs to the group of cladobranchs that are able to associate with dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae) and establish a photosymbiosis. Here we present the first gene expression profile of a photosymbiotic slug when feeding, re-feeding and starving in aposymbiotic and symbiotic states. B. stephanieae is a relevant species to understand how photosymbiosis has evolved in Nudibranchia, because it seems to be a transitional form towards a stable photosymbiosis.