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Strader ME, Wright RM, Pezner AK, Nuttall MF, Aichelman HE, Davies SW. Intersection of coral molecular responses to a localized mortality event and ex situ deoxygenation. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11275. [PMID: 38654712 PMCID: PMC11036075 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
In July 2016, East Bank of Flower Garden Banks (FGB) National Marine Sanctuary experienced a localized mortality event (LME) of multiple invertebrate species that ultimately led to reductions in coral cover. Abiotic data taken directly after the event suggested that acute deoxygenation contributed to the mortality. Despite the large impact of this event on the coral community, there was no direct evidence that this LME was driven by acute deoxygenation, and thus we explored whether gene expression responses of corals to the LME would indicate what abiotic factors may have contributed to the LME. Gene expression of affected and unaffected corals sampled during the mortality event revealed evidence of the physiological consequences of the LME on coral hosts and their algal symbionts from two congeneric species (Orbicella franksi and Orbicella faveolata). Affected colonies of both species differentially regulated genes involved in mitochondrial regulation and oxidative stress. To further test the hypothesis that deoxygenation led to the LME, we measured coral host and algal symbiont gene expression in response to ex situ experimental deoxygenation (control = 6.9 ± 0.08 mg L-1, anoxic = 0.083 ± 0.017 mg L-1) in healthy O. faveolata colonies from the FGB. However, this deoxygenation experiment revealed divergent gene expression patterns compared to the corals sampled during the LME and was more similar to a generalized coral environmental stress response. It is therefore likely that while the LME was connected to low oxygen, it was a series of interconnected stressors that elicited the unique gene expression responses observed here. These in situ and ex situ data highlight how field responses to stressors are unique from those in controlled laboratory conditions, and that the complexities of deoxygenation events in the field likely arise from interactions between multiple environmental factors simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E. Strader
- Department of BiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Rachel M. Wright
- Department of Biological SciencesSouthern Methodist UniversityDallasTexasUSA
| | | | | | | | - Sarah W. Davies
- Department of BiologyBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
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2
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Dilworth J, Million WC, Ruggeri M, Hall ER, Dungan AM, Muller EM, Kenkel CD. Synergistic response to climate stressors in coral is associated with genotypic variation in baseline expression. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232447. [PMID: 38531406 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As environments are rapidly reshaped due to climate change, phenotypic plasticity plays an important role in the ability of organisms to persist and is considered an especially important acclimatization mechanism for long-lived sessile organisms such as reef-building corals. Often, this ability of a single genotype to display multiple phenotypes depending on the environment is modulated by changes in gene expression, which can vary in response to environmental changes via two mechanisms: baseline expression and expression plasticity. We used transcriptome-wide expression profiling of eleven genotypes of common-gardened Acropora cervicornis to explore genotypic variation in the expression response to thermal and acidification stress, both individually and in combination. We show that the combination of these two stressors elicits a synergistic gene expression response, and that both baseline expression and expression plasticity in response to stress show genotypic variation. Additionally, we demonstrate that frontloading of a large module of coexpressed genes is associated with greater retention of algal symbionts under combined stress. These results illustrate that variation in the gene expression response of individuals to climate change stressors can persist even when individuals have shared environmental histories, affecting their performance under future climate change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Ruggeri
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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3
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Xu W, Ahmed W, Mahmood M, Li W, Mehmood S. Physiological and biochemical responses of soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum to doxycycline hydrochloride exposure. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17665. [PMID: 37848653 PMCID: PMC10582170 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44383-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In light of the rapid expansion of the marine aquaculture industry, there has been widespread and irregular usage of aquatic drugs to combat biological diseases, which significantly impact the neighboring aquatic ecosystems. This study delves into the impact of the antibiotic aquatic drug known as doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX) on offshore soft corals, providing valuable data for the responsible use and management of aquatic drugs. In this investigation, we subjected Sarcophyton trocheliophorum to acute exposure to varying concentrations of DOX (0, 1, 5, and 10 mg L-1). We meticulously assessed critical parameters and observed alterations in protein levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, lipid peroxidation (LPO), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, Acid phosphatase (ACP) activity, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity, glutathione (GSH) concentration, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, glutathione Peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, zooxanthellae density, and chlorophyll content. Our findings reveal that in the presence of DOX-induced environmental stress, there is a significant increase in LPO, MDA, chlorophyll, carotenoid levels, and the activities of ACP, GST, and GSH-Px in soft corals. Simultaneously, there is a noteworthy decrease in zooxanthellae density. Additionally, the protein concentration and SOD activity in soft corals experience substantial reduction when exposed to 5 mg L-1 DOX. Notably, CAT activity varies significantly in environments with 1 and 10 mg L-1 DOX. Moreover, these conditions exhibit a discernible influence on AKP activity, GSH content, and chlorophyll levels. These findings suggest that DOX exposure carries the potential for toxicity in aquaculture settings, affecting protein synthesis in soft corals and influencing oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, immunity, and detoxification processes within these organisms. There is also a risk of compromising the coral defense system, potentially leading to coral bleaching. Furthermore, this study underscores the significant impact on photosynthesis, growth, and the metabolic dynamics of the coral-zooxanthellae symbiotic system. Consequently, our research offers vital insights into the mortality and bleaching effects of aquatic drugs on marine corals, offering a foundation for the prudent use and management of such substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Xu
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Waqas Ahmed
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Mohsin Mahmood
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Weidong Li
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
| | - Sajid Mehmood
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
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Smith SK, Frazel PW, Khodadadi-Jamayran A, Zappile P, Marier C, Okhovat M, Brown S, Long MA, Heguy A, Phelps SM. De novo assembly and annotation of the singing mouse genome. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:569. [PMID: 37749493 PMCID: PMC10521431 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09678-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing genomic resources for a diverse range of species is an important step towards understanding the mechanisms underlying complex traits. Specifically, organisms that exhibit unique and accessible phenotypes-of-interest allow researchers to address questions that may be ill-suited to traditional model organisms. We sequenced the genome and transcriptome of Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina), an emerging model for social cognition and vocal communication. In addition to producing advertisement songs used for mate attraction and male-male competition, these rodents are diurnal, live at high-altitudes, and are obligate insectivores, providing opportunities to explore diverse physiological, ecological, and evolutionary questions. RESULTS Using PromethION, Illumina, and PacBio sequencing, we produced an annotated genome and transcriptome, which were validated using gene expression and functional enrichment analyses. To assess the usefulness of our assemblies, we performed single nuclei sequencing on cells of the orofacial motor cortex, a brain region implicated in song coordination, identifying 12 cell types. CONCLUSIONS These resources will provide the opportunity to identify the molecular basis of complex traits in singing mice as well as to contribute data that can be used for large-scale comparative analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Paul W Frazel
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Paul Zappile
- Genome Technology Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Christian Marier
- Genome Technology Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Mariam Okhovat
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Present Address: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Stuart Brown
- NYU Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Present Address: Exxon Mobil Corporate, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael A Long
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Adriana Heguy
- Genome Technology Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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5
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Smith SK, Aglyamova G, Oberg EW, Fuiman LA, Matz MV. Gene expression underlying variation in the survival skills of red drum larvae (Sciaenops ocellatus). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 103:704-714. [PMID: 37300518 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mortality rates of marine fish larvae are incredibly high and can determine year-class strength. The major causes of larval mortality are predation and starvation, and the performance of larvae in survival skills that can mitigate this mortality (predator evasion, foraging) varies among individuals and cohorts, but the causes of the variation are not known. Transcriptomics can link gene expression variation to phenotypic variation at the whole-system level to investigate the molecular basis of behavioural variation. We used tag-based RNA-sequencing to examine the molecular basis of variation in predator evasion and routine swimming (trait related to foraging efficiency) in the larval red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. We looked for functional gene networks in which interindividual variation would explain variation in larval behavioural performance. We identified co-expressed gene groups ("modules") associated with predator evasion traits and found enrichment of motor, neural and energy metabolism pathways. These functional associations and pattern of correlations between modules and traits suggest that energy availability and allocation were responsible for the magnitude of startle responses, while differential neural and motor activation were associated with differences in response latency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Galina Aglyamova
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Erik W Oberg
- Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
| | - Lee A Fuiman
- Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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6
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Lv T, Zhan C, Pan Q, Xu H, Fang H, Wang M, Matsumoto H. Plant pathogenesis: Toward multidimensional understanding of the microbiome. IMETA 2023; 2:e129. [PMID: 38867927 PMCID: PMC10989765 DOI: 10.1002/imt2.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Single pathogen-targeted disease management measure has shown drawbacks in field efficacy under the scenario of global change. An in-depth understanding of plant pathogenesis will provide a promising solution but faces the challenges of the emerging paradigm involving the plant microbiome. While the beneficial impact of the plant microbiome is well characterized, their potential role in facilitating pathological processes has so far remained largely overlooked. To address these unsolved controversies and emerging challenges, we hereby highlight the pathobiome, the disease-assisting portion hidden in the plant microbiome, in the plant pathogenesis paradigm. We review the detrimental actions mediated by the pathobiome at multiple scales and further discuss how natural and human triggers result in the prevalence of the plant pathobiome, which would probably provide a clue to the mitigation of plant disease epidemics. Collectively, the article would advance the current insight into plant pathogenesis and also pave a new way to cope with the upward trends of plant disease by designing the pathobiome-targeted measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianxing Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Chengfang Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Qianqian Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Haorong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Hongda Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Mengcen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Global Education Program for AgriScience Frontiers, Graduate School of AgricultureHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Haruna Matsumoto
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
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Beavers KM, Van Buren EW, Rossin AM, Emery MA, Veglia AJ, Karrick CE, MacKnight NJ, Dimos BA, Meiling SS, Smith TB, Apprill A, Muller EM, Holstein DM, Correa AMS, Brandt ME, Mydlarz LD. Stony coral tissue loss disease induces transcriptional signatures of in situ degradation of dysfunctional Symbiodiniaceae. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2915. [PMID: 37217477 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38612-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), one of the most pervasive and virulent coral diseases on record, affects over 22 species of reef-building coral and is decimating reefs throughout the Caribbean. To understand how different coral species and their algal symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) respond to this disease, we examine the gene expression profiles of colonies of five species of coral from a SCTLD transmission experiment. The included species vary in their purported susceptibilities to SCTLD, and we use this to inform gene expression analyses of both the coral animal and their Symbiodiniaceae. We identify orthologous coral genes exhibiting lineage-specific differences in expression that correlate to disease susceptibility, as well as genes that are differentially expressed in all coral species in response to SCTLD infection. We find that SCTLD infection induces increased expression of rab7, an established marker of in situ degradation of dysfunctional Symbiodiniaceae, in all coral species accompanied by genus-level shifts in Symbiodiniaceae photosystem and metabolism gene expression. Overall, our results indicate that SCTLD infection induces symbiophagy across coral species and that the severity of disease is influenced by Symbiodiniaceae identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Beavers
- Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Emily W Van Buren
- Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Ashley M Rossin
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Madison A Emery
- Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Alex J Veglia
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carly E Karrick
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Bradford A Dimos
- Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Sonora S Meiling
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, USA
| | - Tyler B Smith
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, USA
| | - Amy Apprill
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | | | - Daniel M Holstein
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | | | - Marilyn E Brandt
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, USA
| | - Laura D Mydlarz
- Biology Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA.
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Quigley KM, Ramsby B, Laffy P, Harris J, Mocellin VJL, Bay LK. Symbioses are restructured by repeated mass coral bleaching. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq8349. [PMID: 36475796 PMCID: PMC9728966 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq8349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Survival of symbiotic reef-building corals under global warming requires rapid acclimation or adaptation. The impact of accumulated heat stress was compared across 1643 symbiont communities before and after the 2016 mass bleaching in three coral species and free-living in the environment across ~900 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. Resilient reefs (less aerial bleaching than predicted from high satellite sea temperatures) showed low variation in symbioses. Before 2016, heat-tolerant environmental symbionts were common in ~98% of samples and moderately abundant (9 to 40% in samples). In corals, heat-tolerant symbionts were at low abundances (0 to 7.3%) but only in a minority (13 to 27%) of colonies. Following bleaching, environmental diversity doubled (including heat-tolerant symbionts) and increased in one coral species. Communities were dynamic (Acropora millepora) and conserved (Acropora hyacinthus and Acropora tenuis), including symbiont community turnover and redistribution. Symbiotic restructuring after bleaching occurs but is a taxon-specific ecological opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M. Quigley
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Minderoo Foundation, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Blake Ramsby
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Patrick Laffy
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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9
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Brown AL, Anastasiou DE, Schul M, MacVittie S, Spiers LJ, Meyer JL, Manfrino C, Frazer TK. Mixtures of genotypes increase disease resistance in a coral nursery. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19286. [PMID: 36369337 PMCID: PMC9652365 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23457-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine infectious diseases are a leading cause of population declines globally due, in large part, to challenges in diagnosis and limited treatment options. Mitigating disease spread is particularly important for species targeted for conservation. In some systems, strategic arrangement of organisms in space can constrain disease outbreaks, however, this approach has not been used in marine restoration. Reef building corals have been particularly devastated by disease and continue to experience catastrophic population declines. We show that mixtures of genotypes (i.e., diversity) increased disease resistance in the critically endangered Acropora cervicornis, a species that is frequently targeted for restoration of degraded reefs in the broader Caribbean region. This finding suggests a more generalized relationship between diversity and disease and offers a viable strategy for mitigating the spread of infectious diseases in corals that likely applies to other foundation species targeted for restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anya L. Brown
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA ,grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Present Address: Department of Evolution and Ecology & Bodega Marine Lab, University of California, Davis, Bodega Bay, CA 94923 USA
| | - Dagny-Elise Anastasiou
- Central Caribbean Marine Institute, N Coast Road E, Box 37, Little Cayman, KY3-2501 Cayman Islands
| | - Monica Schul
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Sophia MacVittie
- Central Caribbean Marine Institute, N Coast Road E, Box 37, Little Cayman, KY3-2501 Cayman Islands ,grid.266096.d0000 0001 0049 1282Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA USA
| | - Lindsay J. Spiers
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA ,grid.427218.a0000 0001 0556 4516Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Marathon, FL USA
| | - Julie L. Meyer
- grid.15276.370000 0004 1936 8091Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Carrie Manfrino
- Central Caribbean Marine Institute, N Coast Road E, Box 37, Little Cayman, KY3-2501 Cayman Islands
| | - Thomas K. Frazer
- grid.170693.a0000 0001 2353 285XCollege of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 USA
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10
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MacKnight NJ, Dimos BA, Beavers KM, Muller EM, Brandt ME, Mydlarz LD. Disease resistance in coral is mediated by distinct adaptive and plastic gene expression profiles. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo6153. [PMID: 36179017 PMCID: PMC9524840 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo6153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are an increasing threat to coral reefs, resulting in altered community structure and hindering the functional contributions of disease-susceptible species. We exposed seven reef-building coral species from the Caribbean to white plague disease and determined processes involved in (i) lesion progression, (ii) within-species gene expression plasticity, and (iii) expression-level adaptation among species that lead to differences in disease risk. Gene expression networks enriched in immune genes and cytoskeletal arrangement processes were correlated to lesion progression rates. Whether or not a coral developed a lesion was mediated by plasticity in genes involved in extracellular matrix maintenance, autophagy, and apoptosis, while resistant coral species had constitutively higher expression of intracellular protein trafficking. This study offers insight into the process involved in lesion progression and within- and between-species dynamics that lead to differences in disease risk that is evident on current Caribbean reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. MacKnight
- University of Texas at Arlington, 337 Life Science Building, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Bradford A. Dimos
- University of Texas at Arlington, 337 Life Science Building, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Kelsey M. Beavers
- University of Texas at Arlington, 337 Life Science Building, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Erinn M. Muller
- Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
| | - Marilyn E. Brandt
- University of the Virgin Islands, 2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802, USA
| | - Laura D. Mydlarz
- University of Texas at Arlington, 337 Life Science Building, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
- Corresponding author.
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11
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Schlecker L, Page C, Matz M, Wright RM. Mechanisms and potential immune tradeoffs of accelerated coral growth induced by microfragmentation. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13158. [PMID: 35368334 PMCID: PMC8973463 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Microfragmentation is the act of cutting corals into small pieces (~1 cm2) to accelerate the growth rates of corals relative to growth rates observed when maintaining larger-sized fragments. This rapid tissue and skeletal expansion technique offers great potential for supporting reef restoration, yet the biological processes and tradeoffs involved in microfragmentation-mediated accelerated growth are not well understood. Here we compared growth rates across a range of successively smaller fragment sizes in multiple genets of reef-building corals, Orbicella faveolata and Montastraea cavernosa. Our results confirm prior findings that smaller initial sizes confer accelerated growth after four months of recovery in a raceway. O. faveolata transcript levels associated with growth rate include genes encoding carbonic anhydrase and glutamic acid-rich proteins, which have been previously implicated in coral biomineralization, as well as a number of unannotated transcripts that warrant further characterization. Innate immunity enzyme activity assays and gene expression results suggest a potential tradeoff between growth rate after microfragmentation and immune investment. Microfragmentation-based restoration practices have had great success on Caribbean reefs, despite widespread mortality among wild corals due to infectious diseases. Future studies should continue to examine potential immune tradeoffs throughout the microfragmentation recovery period that may affect growout survival and disease transmission after outplanting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mikhail Matz
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Rachel M. Wright
- Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States,University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
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12
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Barreto MM, Ziegler M, Venn A, Tambutté E, Zoccola D, Tambutté S, Allemand D, Antony CP, Voolstra CR, Aranda M. Effects of Ocean Acidification on Resident and Active Microbial Communities of Stylophora pistillata. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:707674. [PMID: 34899619 PMCID: PMC8656159 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.707674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean warming and ocean acidification (OA) are direct consequences of climate change and affect coral reefs worldwide. While the effect of ocean warming manifests itself in increased frequency and severity of coral bleaching, the effects of ocean acidification on corals are less clear. In particular, long-term effects of OA on the bacterial communities associated with corals are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of ocean acidification on the resident and active microbiome of long-term aquaria-maintained Stylophora pistillata colonies by assessing 16S rRNA gene diversity on the DNA (resident community) and RNA level (active community). Coral colony fragments of S. pistillata were kept in aquaria for 2 years at four different pCO2 levels ranging from current pH conditions to increased acidification scenarios (i.e., pH 7.2, 7.4, 7.8, and 8). We identified 154 bacterial families encompassing 2,047 taxa (OTUs) in the resident and 89 bacterial families including 1,659 OTUs in the active communities. Resident communities were dominated by members of Alteromonadaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Colwelliaceae, while active communities were dominated by families Cyclobacteriacea and Amoebophilaceae. Besides the overall differences between resident and active community composition, significant differences were seen between the control (pH 8) and the two lower pH treatments (7.2 and 7.4) in the active community, but only between pH 8 and 7.2 in the resident community. Our analyses revealed profound differences between the resident and active microbial communities, and we found that OA exerted stronger effects on the active community. Further, our results suggest that rDNA- and rRNA-based sequencing should be considered complementary tools to investigate the effects of environmental change on microbial assemblage structure and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelle Muniz Barreto
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Chakkiath Paul Antony
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Christian R Voolstra
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Manuel Aranda
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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13
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Ordoñez JFF, Galindez GGST, Gulay KT, Ravago-Gotanco R. Transcriptome analysis of growth variation in early juvenile stage sandfish Holothuria scabra. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 40:100904. [PMID: 34488170 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The sandfish Holothuria scabra is a high-value tropical sea cucumber species representing a major mariculture prospect across the Indo-Pacific. Advancements in culture technology, rearing, and processing present options for augmenting capture production, stock restoration, and sustainable livelihood activities from hatchery-produced sandfish. Further improvements in mariculture production may be gained from the application of genomic technologies to improve performance traits such as growth. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome assembly and characterization of fast- and slow-growing juvenile H. scabra from three Philippine populations. Analyses revealed 66 unigenes that were consistently differentially regulated in fast-growing sandfish and found to be associated with immune response and metabolism. Further, we identified microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism markers potentially associated with fast growth. These findings provide insight on potential genomic determinants underlying growth regulation in early juvenile sandfish which will be useful for further functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- June Feliciano F Ordoñez
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Velasquez St., Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines.
| | - Gihanna Gaye S T Galindez
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Velasquez St., Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines; Division Data Science in Biomedicine, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Germany.
| | - Karina Therese Gulay
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Velasquez St., Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines.
| | - Rachel Ravago-Gotanco
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Velasquez St., Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines.
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14
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Bollati E, Rosenberg Y, Simon-Blecher N, Tamir R, Levy O, Huang D. Untangling the molecular basis of coral response to sedimentation. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:884-901. [PMID: 34738686 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Urbanized coral reefs are often chronically affected by sedimentation and reduced light levels, yet many species of corals appear to be able to thrive under these highly disturbed conditions. Recently, these marginal ecosystems have gained attention as potential climate change refugia due to the shading effect of suspended sediment, as well as potential reservoirs for stress-tolerant species. However, little research exists on the impact of sedimentation on coral physiology, particularly at the molecular level. Here, we investigated the transcriptomic response to sediment stress in corals of the family Merulinidae from a chronically turbid reef (one genet each of Goniastrea pectinata and Mycedium elephantotus from Singapore) and a clear-water reef (multiple genets of G. pectinata from the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat). In two ex-situ experiments, we exposed corals to either natural sediment or artificial sediment enriched with organic matter and used whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA sequencing) to quantify gene expression. Analysis revealed a shared basis for the coral transcriptomic response to sediment stress, which involves the expression of genes broadly related to energy metabolism and immune response. In particular, sediment exposure induced upregulation of anaerobic glycolysis and glyoxylate bypass enzymes, as well as genes involved in hydrogen sulphide metabolism and in pathogen pattern recognition. Our results point towards hypoxia as a probable driver of this transcriptomic response, providing a molecular basis to previous work that identified hypoxia as a primary cause of tissue necrosis in sediment-stressed corals. Potential metabolic and immunity trade-offs of corals living under chronic sedimentation should be considered in future studies on the ecology and conservation of turbid reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Bollati
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biology, Marine Biology Section, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Yaeli Rosenberg
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Noa Simon-Blecher
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Raz Tamir
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Oren Levy
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Danwei Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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15
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Avila-Magaña V, Kamel B, DeSalvo M, Gómez-Campo K, Enríquez S, Kitano H, Rohlfs RV, Iglesias-Prieto R, Medina M. Elucidating gene expression adaptation of phylogenetically divergent coral holobionts under heat stress. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5731. [PMID: 34593802 PMCID: PMC8484447 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25950-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
As coral reefs struggle to survive under climate change, it is crucial to know whether they have the capacity to withstand changing conditions, particularly increasing seawater temperatures. Thermal tolerance requires the integrative response of the different components of the coral holobiont (coral host, algal photosymbiont, and associated microbiome). Here, using a controlled thermal stress experiment across three divergent Caribbean coral species, we attempt to dissect holobiont member metatranscriptome responses from coral taxa with different sensitivities to heat stress and use phylogenetic ANOVA to study the evolution of gene expression adaptation. We show that coral response to heat stress is a complex trait derived from multiple interactions among holobiont members. We identify host and photosymbiont genes that exhibit lineage-specific expression level adaptation and uncover potential roles for bacterial associates in supplementing the metabolic needs of the coral-photosymbiont duo during heat stress. Our results stress the importance of integrative and comparative approaches across a wide range of species to better understand coral survival under the predicted rise in sea surface temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viridiana Avila-Magaña
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA ,grid.266190.a0000000096214564Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO USA
| | - Bishoy Kamel
- grid.266832.b0000 0001 2188 8502Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM USA ,grid.184769.50000 0001 2231 4551Present Address: US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Michael DeSalvo
- grid.266096.d0000 0001 0049 1282School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA USA ,grid.418190.50000 0001 2187 0556Thermo Fisher Scientific, Carlsbad, CA USA
| | - Kelly Gómez-Campo
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA
| | - Susana Enríquez
- grid.9486.30000 0001 2159 0001Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Puerto Morelos, ICMyL, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cancún, Mexico
| | - Hiroaki Kitano
- grid.452864.9The Systems Biology Institute, Tokyo, Japan ,grid.250464.10000 0000 9805 2626Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Rori V. Rohlfs
- grid.263091.f0000000106792318Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Roberto Iglesias-Prieto
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA
| | - Mónica Medina
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA
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16
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Abbott E, Dixon G, Matz M. Shuffling between Cladocopium and Durusdinium extensively modifies the physiology of each symbiont without stressing the coral host. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6585-6595. [PMID: 34551161 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
As sea surface temperatures increase, many coral species that used to harbour symbionts of the genus Cladocopium have become colonized with the thermally tolerant genus, Durusdinium. Here, we asked how gene expression in the symbionts of one genus changes depending on the abundance of another symbiont genus within the same coral host, and what effect this interaction has on the host. Symbiont gene expression was overwhelmingly driven by whether the genus was the minority or the majority within the host, which affected 79% (Durusdinium) and 96% (Cladocopium) of all genes. Particularly strong effects in both genera were observed for photosynthesis components (upregulated in the minority state) and proteins putatively associated with cell motility (upregulated in the majority state). Importantly, there was no distinct gene expression signature associated with the mixed symbiosis state when both genera were represented in comparable proportions within the host, which could lead to more intense competition. The mixed symbiosis was also not associated with elevated host stress: in fact, after heat treatment, stress signatures were the lowest in mixed-symbiosis corals compared to both Cladocopium- and Durusdinium-dominated corals. In conclusion, during shuffling between Cladocopium and Durusdinium both symbiont genera go through extensive and largely reciprocal physiological transitions, but there is no evidence of intensifying antagonistic interactions that are detrimental to the host. Unless the mixed-symbiosis corals in this study are not representative of the typical transition between Cladocopium and Durusdinium, the process of shuffling from one symbiont genus to another appears to be cost-free for the coral host, and even appears to be associated with lower stress susceptibility. This raises optimism for the future corals, which will probably have to rely on symbiont shuffling more and more to withstand environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Abbott
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Groves Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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17
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Schmittmann L, Franzenburg S, Pita L. Individuality in the Immune Repertoire and Induced Response of the Sponge Halichondria panicea. Front Immunol 2021; 12:689051. [PMID: 34220847 PMCID: PMC8242945 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.689051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The animal immune system mediates host-microbe interactions from the host perspective. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and the downstream signaling cascades they induce are a central part of animal innate immunity. These molecular immune mechanisms are still not fully understood, particularly in terms of baseline immunity vs induced specific responses regulated upon microbial signals. Early-divergent phyla like sponges (Porifera) can help to identify the evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of immune signaling. We characterized both the expressed immune gene repertoire and the induced response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in Halichondria panicea, a promising model for sponge symbioses. We exposed sponges under controlled experimental conditions to bacterial LPS and performed RNA-seq on samples taken 1h and 6h after exposure. H. panicea possesses a diverse array of putative PRRs. While part of those PRRs was constitutively expressed in all analyzed sponges, the majority was expressed individual-specific and regardless of LPS treatment or timepoint. The induced immune response by LPS involved differential regulation of genes related to signaling and recognition, more specifically GTPases and post-translational regulation mechanisms like ubiquitination and phosphorylation. We have discovered individuality in both the immune receptor repertoire and the response to LPS, which may translate into holobiont fitness and susceptibility to stress. The three different layers of immune gene control observed in this study, - namely constitutive expression, individual-specific expression, and induced genes -, draw a complex picture of the innate immune gene regulation in H. panicea. Most likely this reflects synergistic interactions among the different components of immunity in their role to control and respond to a stable microbiome, seawater bacteria, and potential pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Schmittmann
- Research Unit Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sören Franzenburg
- Research Group Genetics&Bioinformatics/Systems Immunology, Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lucía Pita
- Research Unit Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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18
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Andrade Rodriguez N, Moya A, Jones R, Miller DJ, Cooke IR. The Significance of Genotypic Diversity in Coral Competitive Interaction: A Transcriptomic Perspective. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.659360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Competitive interactions shape coral assemblages and govern the dynamics of coral ecosystems. Although competition is an ecological concept, the outcomes of competitive interactions are ultimately determined by patterns of gene expression. These patterns are subject to genotypic variation on both sides of any interaction. Such variation is typically treated as “noise”, but it is sometimes possible to identify patterns within it that reveal important hidden factors in an experiment. To incorporate genotypic variation into the investigation of coral competitive interactions, we used RNA-sequencing to study changes in gene expression in a hard coral (Porites cylindrica) resulting from non-contact competition experiment with a soft coral (Lobophytum pauciflorum). Hard coral genotype explained the largest proportion of variation between samples; however, it was also possible to detect gene expression changes in 76 transcripts resulting from interaction with the soft coral. In addition, we found a group of 20 short secreted proteins that were expressed as a coordinated unit in three interacting Porites-Lobophytum pairs. The presence of this secretion response was idiosyncratic in that it could not be predicted based on polyp behaviour, or the genotype of hard or soft coral alone. This study illustrates the significance of individual variation as a determinant of competitive behaviour, and also provides some intriguing glimpses into the molecular mechanisms employed by hard corals competing at a distance.
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19
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Kelley ER, Sleith RS, Matz MV, Wright RM. Gene expression associated with disease resistance and long-term growth in a reef-building coral. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210113. [PMID: 33996131 PMCID: PMC8059587 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Rampant coral disease, exacerbated by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, threatens reefs worldwide, especially in the Caribbean. Physically isolated yet genetically connected reefs such as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) may serve as potential refugia for degraded Caribbean reefs. However, little is known about the mechanisms and trade-offs of pathogen resistance in reef-building corals. Here, we measure pathogen resistance in Montastraea cavernosa from FGBNMS. We identified individual colonies that demonstrated resistance or susceptibility to Vibrio spp. in a controlled laboratory environment. Long-term growth patterns suggest no trade-off between disease resistance and calcification. Predictive (pre-exposure) gene expression highlights subtle differences between resistant and susceptible genets, encouraging future coral disease studies to investigate associations between resistance and replicative age and immune cell populations. Predictive gene expression associated with long-term growth underscores the role of transmembrane proteins involved in cell adhesion and cell-cell interactions, contributing to the growing body of knowledge surrounding genes that influence calcification in reef-building corals. Together these results demonstrate that coral genets from isolated sanctuaries such as FGBNMS can withstand pathogen challenges and potentially aid restoration efforts in degraded reefs. Furthermore, gene expression signatures associated with resistance and long-term growth help inform strategic assessment of coral health parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R. Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Robin S. Sleith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Mikhail V. Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Rachel M. Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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20
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Silva-Lima AW, Froes AM, Garcia GD, Tonon LAC, Swings J, Cosenza CAN, Medina M, Penn K, Thompson JR, Thompson CC, Thompson FL. Mussismilia braziliensis White Plague Disease Is Characterized by an Affected Coral Immune System and Dysbiosis. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:795-806. [PMID: 33000311 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01588-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are one of the major drivers of coral reef decline worldwide. White plague-like disease (WPL) is a widespread disease with a complex etiology that infects several coral species, including the Brazilian endemic species Mussismilia braziliensis. Gene expression profiles of healthy and WPL-affected M. braziliensis were analyzed in winter and summer seasons. The de novo assembly of the M. braziliensis transcriptome from healthy and white plague samples produced a reference transcriptome containing 119,088 transcripts. WPL-diseased samples were characterized by repression of immune system and cellular defense processes. Autophagy and cellular adhesion transcripts were also repressed in WPL samples, suggesting exhaustion of the coral host defenses. Seasonal variation leads to plasticity in transcription with upregulation of intracellular signal transduction, apoptosis regulation, and oocyte development in the summer. Analysis of the active bacterial rRNA indicated that Pantoea bacteria were more abundant in WPL corals, while Tistlia, Fulvivirga, and Gammaproteobacteria Ga0077536 were more abundant in healthy samples. Cyanobacteria proliferation was also observed in WPL, mostly in the winter. These results indicate a scenario of dysbiosis in WPL-affected M. braziliensis, with the loss of potentially symbiotic bacteria and proliferation of opportunistic microbes after the start of the infection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- A W Silva-Lima
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
| | - A M Froes
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
| | - G D Garcia
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - L A C Tonon
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - J Swings
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - C A N Cosenza
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Medina
- Pennsylvania State University, 324 Mueller Lab, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - K Penn
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - J R Thompson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - C C Thompson
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - F L Thompson
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N-CCS-IB-Lab de Microbiologia-BLOCO A (Anexo) A3-sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil.
- Sage/Coppe, Centro de Gestão Tecnológica-CT2, Rua Moniz de Aragão, no. 360-Bloco 2, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil.
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21
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Fifer J, Bentlage B, Lemer S, Fujimura AG, Sweet M, Raymundo LJ. Going with the flow: How corals in high-flow environments can beat the heat. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2009-2024. [PMID: 33655552 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Coral reefs are experiencing unprecedented declines in health on a global scale leading to severe reductions in coral cover. One major cause of this decline is increasing sea surface temperature. However, conspecific colonies separated by even small spatial distances appear to show varying responses to this global stressor. One factor contributing to differential responses to heat stress is variability in the coral's micro-environment, such as the amount of water flow a coral experiences. High flow provides corals with a variety of health benefits, including heat stress mitigation. Here, we investigate how water flow affects coral gene expression and provides resilience to increasing temperatures. We examined host and photosymbiont gene expression of Acropora cf. pulchra colonies in discrete in situ flow environments during a natural bleaching event. In addition, we conducted controlled ex situ tank experiments where we exposed A. cf. pulchra to different flow regimes and acute heat stress. Notably, we observed distinct flow-driven transcriptomic signatures related to energy expenditure, growth, heterotrophy and a healthy coral host-photosymbiont relationship. We also observed disparate transcriptomic responses during bleaching recovery between the high- and low-flow sites. Additionally, corals exposed to high flow showed "frontloading" of specific heat-stress-related genes such as heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, genes involved in apoptosis regulation, innate immunity and cell adhesion. We posit that frontloading is a result of increased oxidative metabolism generated by the increased water movement. Gene frontloading may at least partially explain the observation that colonies in high-flow environments show higher survival and/or faster recovery in response to bleaching events.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Fifer
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, USA.,Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bastian Bentlage
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, USA
| | - Sarah Lemer
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, USA
| | | | - Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Laurie J Raymundo
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, USA
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22
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Hall C, Camilli S, Dwaah H, Kornegay B, Lacy C, Hill MS, Hill AL. Freshwater sponge hosts and their green algae symbionts: a tractable model to understand intracellular symbiosis. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10654. [PMID: 33614268 PMCID: PMC7882143 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In many freshwater habitats, green algae form intracellular symbioses with a variety of heterotrophic host taxa including several species of freshwater sponge. These sponges perform important ecological roles in their habitats, and the poriferan:green algae partnerships offers unique opportunities to study the evolutionary origins and ecological persistence of endosymbioses. We examined the association between Ephydatia muelleri and its chlorophyte partner to identify features of host cellular and genetic responses to the presence of intracellular algal partners. Chlorella-like green algal symbionts were isolated from field-collected adult E. muelleri tissue harboring algae. The sponge-derived algae were successfully cultured and subsequently used to reinfect aposymbiotic E. muelleri tissue. We used confocal microscopy to follow the fate of the sponge-derived algae after inoculating algae-free E. muelleri grown from gemmules to show temporal patterns of symbiont location within host tissue. We also infected aposymbiotic E. muelleri with sponge-derived algae, and performed RNASeq to study differential expression patterns in the host relative to symbiotic states. We compare and contrast our findings with work in other systems (e.g., endosymbiotic Hydra) to explore possible conserved evolutionary pathways that may lead to stable mutualistic endosymbioses. Our work demonstrates that freshwater sponges offer many tractable qualities to study features of intracellular occupancy and thus meet criteria desired for a model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Hall
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Sara Camilli
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America.,Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
| | - Henry Dwaah
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Kornegay
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Christie Lacy
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Malcolm S Hill
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America.,Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, United States of America
| | - April L Hill
- Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America.,Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, United States of America
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23
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Vega Thurber R, Mydlarz LD, Brandt M, Harvell D, Weil E, Raymundo L, Willis BL, Langevin S, Tracy AM, Littman R, Kemp KM, Dawkins P, Prager KC, Garren M, Lamb J. Deciphering Coral Disease Dynamics: Integrating Host, Microbiome, and the Changing Environment. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.575927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Diseases of tropical reef organisms is an intensive area of study, but despite significant advances in methodology and the global knowledge base, identifying the proximate causes of disease outbreaks remains difficult. The dynamics of infectious wildlife diseases are known to be influenced by shifting interactions among the host, pathogen, and other members of the microbiome, and a collective body of work clearly demonstrates that this is also the case for the main foundation species on reefs, corals. Yet, among wildlife, outbreaks of coral diseases stand out as being driven largely by a changing environment. These outbreaks contributed not only to significant losses of coral species but also to whole ecosystem regime shifts. Here we suggest that to better decipher the disease dynamics of corals, we must integrate more holistic and modern paradigms that consider multiple and variable interactions among the three major players in epizootics: the host, its associated microbiome, and the environment. In this perspective, we discuss how expanding the pathogen component of the classic host-pathogen-environment disease triad to incorporate shifts in the microbiome leading to dysbiosis provides a better model for understanding coral disease dynamics. We outline and discuss issues arising when evaluating each component of this trio and make suggestions for bridging gaps between them. We further suggest that to best tackle these challenges, researchers must adjust standard paradigms, like the classic one pathogen-one disease model, that, to date, have been ineffectual at uncovering many of the emergent properties of coral reef disease dynamics. Lastly, we make recommendations for ways forward in the fields of marine disease ecology and the future of coral reef conservation and restoration given these observations.
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24
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Fuess LE, Palacio-Castro AM, Butler CC, Baker AC, Mydlarz LD. Increased Algal Symbiont Density Reduces Host Immunity in a Threatened Caribbean Coral Species, Orbicella faveolata. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.572942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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25
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Brannelly LA, McCallum HI, Grogan LF, Briggs CJ, Ribas MP, Hollanders M, Sasso T, Familiar López M, Newell DA, Kilpatrick AM. Mechanisms underlying host persistence following amphibian disease emergence determine appropriate management strategies. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:130-148. [PMID: 33067922 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases have caused many species declines, changes in communities and even extinctions. There are also many species that persist following devastating declines due to disease. The broad mechanisms that enable host persistence following declines include evolution of resistance or tolerance, changes in immunity and behaviour, compensatory recruitment, pathogen attenuation, environmental refugia, density-dependent transmission and changes in community composition. Here we examine the case of chytridiomycosis, the most important wildlife disease of the past century. We review the full breadth of mechanisms allowing host persistence, and synthesise research on host, pathogen, environmental and community factors driving persistence following chytridiomycosis-related declines and overview the current evidence and the information required to support each mechanism. We found that for most species the mechanisms facilitating persistence have not been identified. We illustrate how the mechanisms that drive long-term host population dynamics determine the most effective conservation management strategies. Therefore, understanding mechanisms of host persistence is important because many species continue to be threatened by disease, some of which will require intervention. The conceptual framework we describe is broadly applicable to other novel disease systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Brannelly
- Veterinary BioSciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Vic, 3030, Australia
| | - Hamish I McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld., 4111, Australia
| | - Laura F Grogan
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld., 4111, Australia.,Forest Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Cheryl J Briggs
- Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Maria P Ribas
- Forest Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia.,Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Matthijs Hollanders
- Forest Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Thais Sasso
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld., 4111, Australia
| | - Mariel Familiar López
- School of Environment and Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld., 4215, Australia
| | - David A Newell
- Forest Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Auston M Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
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26
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Maher RL, Schmeltzer ER, Meiling S, McMinds R, Ezzat L, Shantz AA, Adam TC, Schmitt RJ, Holbrook SJ, Burkepile DE, Vega Thurber R. Coral Microbiomes Demonstrate Flexibility and Resilience Through a Reduction in Community Diversity Following a Thermal Stress Event. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.555698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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27
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Parisi MG, Parrinello D, Stabili L, Cammarata M. Cnidarian Immunity and the Repertoire of Defense Mechanisms in Anthozoans. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E283. [PMID: 32932829 PMCID: PMC7563517 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anthozoa is the most specious class of the phylum Cnidaria that is phylogenetically basal within the Metazoa. It is an interesting group for studying the evolution of mutualisms and immunity, for despite their morphological simplicity, Anthozoans are unexpectedly immunologically complex, with large genomes and gene families similar to those of the Bilateria. Evidence indicates that the Anthozoan innate immune system is not only involved in the disruption of harmful microorganisms, but is also crucial in structuring tissue-associated microbial communities that are essential components of the cnidarian holobiont and useful to the animal's health for several functions including metabolism, immune defense, development, and behavior. Here, we report on the current state of the art of Anthozoan immunity. Like other invertebrates, Anthozoans possess immune mechanisms based on self/non-self-recognition. Although lacking adaptive immunity, they use a diverse repertoire of immune receptor signaling pathways (PRRs) to recognize a broad array of conserved microorganism-associated molecular patterns (MAMP). The intracellular signaling cascades lead to gene transcription up to endpoints of release of molecules that kill the pathogens, defend the self by maintaining homeostasis, and modulate the wound repair process. The cells play a fundamental role in immunity, as they display phagocytic activities and secrete mucus, which acts as a physicochemical barrier preventing or slowing down the proliferation of potential invaders. Finally, we describe the current state of knowledge of some immune effectors in Anthozoan species, including the potential role of toxins and the inflammatory response in the Mediterranean Anthozoan Anemonia viridis following injection of various foreign particles differing in type and dimensions, including pathogenetic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giovanna Parisi
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Daniela Parrinello
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Loredana Stabili
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
| | - Matteo Cammarata
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
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28
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Dixon G, Abbott E, Matz M. Meta-analysis of the coral environmental stress response: Acropora corals show opposing responses depending on stress intensity. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:2855-2870. [PMID: 32615003 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
As climate change progresses, reef-building corals must contend more often with suboptimal conditions, motivating a need to understand coral stress response. Here, we test the hypothesis that there is a stereotyped transcriptional response that corals enact under all stressful conditions, functionally characterized by downregulation of growth, and activation of cell death, response to reactive oxygen species, immunity, and protein folding and degradation. We analyse RNA-seq and Tag-Seq data from 14 previously published studies and supplement them with four new experiments involving different stressors, totaling over 600 gene expression profiles from the genus Acropora. Contrary to expectations, we found not one, but two distinct types of response. The type A response was observed under all kinds of high-intensity stress, was correlated between independent projects and was functionally consistent with the hypothesized stereotyped response. The consistent correlation between projects, irrespective of stress type, supports the type A response as the general coral environmental stress response (ESR), a blanket solution to severely stressful conditions. The distinct type B response was observed under lower intensity stress and was more variable among studies. Unexpectedly, at the level of individual genes and functional categories, the type B response was broadly opposite the type A response. Finally, taking advantage of the breadth of the data set, we present contextual annotations for previously unannotated genes based on consistent stress-induced differences across independent projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Groves Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Evelyn Abbott
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
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29
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Dierking K, Pita L. Receptors Mediating Host-Microbiota Communication in the Metaorganism: The Invertebrate Perspective. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1251. [PMID: 32612612 PMCID: PMC7308585 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular organisms live in close association with a plethora of microorganism, which have a profound effect on multiple host functions. As such, the microbiota and its host form an intimate functional entity, termed the metaorganism or holobiont. But how does the metaorganism communicate? Which receptors recognize microbial signals, mediate the effect of the microbiota on host physiology or regulate microbiota composition and homeostasis? In this review we provide an overview on the function of different receptor classes in animal host-microbiota communication. We put a special focus on invertebrate hosts, including both traditional invertebrate models such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans and “non-model” invertebrates in microbiota research. Finally, we highlight the potential of invertebrate systems in studying mechanism of host-microbiota interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Dierking
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lucía Pita
- RD3 Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
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30
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Fuess LE, Butler CC, Brandt ME, Mydlarz LD. Investigating the roles of transforming growth factor-beta in immune response of Orbicella faveolata, a scleractinian coral. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 107:103639. [PMID: 32027869 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2020.103639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic relationships range from parasitic to mutualistic, yet all endosymbionts face similar challenges, including evasion of host immunity. Many symbiotic organisms have evolved similar mechanisms to face these challenges, including manipulation of the host's transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) pathway. Here we investigate the TGFβ pathway in scelaractinian corals which are dependent on symbioses with dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae. Using the Caribbean coral, Orbicella faveolata, we explore the effects of enhancement and inhibition of the TGFβ pathway on host gene expression. Following transcriptomic analyses, we demonstrated limited effects of pathway manipulation in absence of immune stimulation. However, manipulation of the TGFβ pathway significantly affects the subsequent ability of host corals to mount an immune response. Enhancement of the TGFβ pathway eliminates transcriptomic signatures of host coral immune response, while inhibition of the pathway maintains the response. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence of an immunomodulatory role for TGFβ in a scelaractinian coral. These findings suggest variation in TGFβ signaling may have implications in the face of increasing disease prevelance. Our results suggest that the TGFβ pathway can modulate tradeoffs between symbiosis and immunity. Further study of links between symbiosis, TGFβ, and immunity is needed to better understand the ecological implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Fuess
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States.
| | - Caleb C Butler
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States
| | - Marilyn E Brandt
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, United States
| | - Laura D Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States
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31
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Claar DC, Tietjen KL, Cox KD, Gates RD, Baum JK. Chronic disturbance modulates symbiont (Symbiodiniaceae) beta diversity on a coral reef. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4492. [PMID: 32161299 PMCID: PMC7066189 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60929-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic disturbance can disrupt ecological interactions including the foundational symbiosis between reef-building corals and the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae. Symbiodiniaceae are photosynthetic endosymbionts necessary for coral survival, but many Symbiodiniaceae can also be found free-living in the environment. Since most coral species acquire new Symbiodiniaceae from the environment each generation, free-living Symbiodiniaceae represent important pools for coral symbiont acquisition. Yet, little is known about the diversity of, or impacts of disturbance on, free-living Symbiodiniaceae. To determine how chronic and pulse disturbances influence Symbiodiniaceae communities, we sampled three reef habitat compartments - sediment, water, and coral (Pocillopora grandis, Montipora aequituberculata, Porites lobata) - at sites exposed to different levels of chronic anthropogenic disturbance, before, during, and after a major storm. Almost no (4%) Symbiodiniaceae amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were found in all three compartments, and over half were found uniquely in coral. Sites experiencing chronic disturbance were typically associated with higher symbiont beta diversity (i.e., variability and turnover) across reef habitat compartments. Pulse stress, from the storm, exhibited some influence on symbiont beta diversity but the effect was inconsistent. This suggests that in this ecosystem, the effects of chronic disturbance are more prominent than temporal variability during a pulse disturbance for shaping symbiont communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle C Claar
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2, Canada. .,University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science, 1122 NE Boat St, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
| | - Kristina L Tietjen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Kieran D Cox
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2, Canada.,Hakai Institute, Calvert Island, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ruth D Gates
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA
| | - Julia K Baum
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2, Canada. .,Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA.
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Dimos BA, Butler CC, Ricci CA, MacKnight NJ, Mydlarz LD. Responding to Threats Both Foreign and Domestic: NOD-Like Receptors in Corals. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:819-829. [PMID: 31236558 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically mechanisms with which basal animals such as reef-building corals use to respond to changing and increasingly stressful environments have remained elusive. However, the increasing availability of genomic and transcriptomic data from these organisms has provided fundamental insights into the biology of these critically important ecosystem engineers. Notably, insights into cnidarians gained in the post-genomics age have revealed a surprisingly complex immune system which bears a surprising level of similarity with the vertebrate innate immune system. This system has been critically linked to how corals respond to the two most prominent threats on a global scale, emerging coral diseases and increasing water temperature, which are recognized cellularly as either foreign or domestic threats, respectively. These threats can arise from pathogenic microbes or internal cellular dysfunction, underscoring the need to further understand mechanisms corals use to sense and respond to threats to their cellular integrity. In this investigation and meta-analysis, we utilize resources only recently available in the post-genomic era to identify and characterize members of an underexplored class of molecules known as NOD-like receptors in the endangered Caribbean coral Orbicella faveolata. We then leverage these data to identify pathways possibly mediated by NLRs in both O. faveolata and the ecologically important branching coral Acropora digitifera. Overall, we find support that this class of proteins may provide a mechanistic link to how reef-building corals respond to threats both foreign and domestic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradford A Dimos
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Caleb C Butler
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Contessa A Ricci
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Nicholas J MacKnight
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Laura D Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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33
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Osman EO, Suggett DJ, Voolstra CR, Pettay DT, Clark DR, Pogoreutz C, Sampayo EM, Warner ME, Smith DJ. Coral microbiome composition along the northern Red Sea suggests high plasticity of bacterial and specificity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate communities. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:8. [PMID: 32008576 PMCID: PMC6996193 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0776-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The capacity of reef-building corals to tolerate (or adapt to) heat stress is a key factor determining their resilience to future climate change. Changes in coral microbiome composition (particularly for microalgal endosymbionts and bacteria) is a potential mechanism that may assist corals to thrive in warm waters. The northern Red Sea experiences extreme temperatures anomalies, yet corals in this area rarely bleach suggesting possible refugia to climate change. However, the coral microbiome composition, and how it relates to the capacity to thrive in warm waters in this region, is entirely unknown. RESULTS We investigated microbiomes for six coral species (Porites nodifera, Favia favus, Pocillopora damicornis, Seriatopora hystrix, Xenia umbellata, and Sarcophyton trocheliophorum) from five sites in the northern Red Sea spanning 4° of latitude and summer mean temperature ranges from 26.6 °C to 29.3 °C. A total of 19 distinct dinoflagellate endosymbionts were identified as belonging to three genera in the family Symbiodiniaceae (Symbiodinium, Cladocopium, and Durusdinium). Of these, 86% belonged to the genus Cladocopium, with notably five novel types (19%). The endosymbiont community showed a high degree of host-specificity despite the latitudinal gradient. In contrast, the diversity and composition of bacterial communities of the surface mucus layer (SML)-a compartment particularly sensitive to environmental change-varied significantly between sites, however for any given coral was species-specific. CONCLUSION The conserved endosymbiotic community suggests high physiological plasticity to support holobiont productivity across the different latitudinal regimes. Further, the presence of five novel algal endosymbionts suggests selection of certain genotypes (or genetic adaptation) within the semi-isolated Red Sea. In contrast, the dynamic composition of bacteria associated with the SML across sites may contribute to holobiont function and broaden the ecological niche. In doing so, SML bacterial communities may aid holobiont local acclimatization (or adaptation) by readily responding to changes in the host environment. Our study provides novel insight about the selective and endemic nature of coral microbiomes along the northern Red Sea refugia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eslam O Osman
- Coral Reef Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK.
- Marine Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, 11448, Egypt.
| | - David J Suggett
- Coral Reef Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Christian R Voolstra
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - D Tye Pettay
- School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA
| | - Dave R Clark
- Coral Reef Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Claudia Pogoreutz
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Eugenia M Sampayo
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark E Warner
- School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA
| | - David J Smith
- Coral Reef Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
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34
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Rosales SM, Miller MW, Williams DE, Traylor-Knowles N, Young B, Serrano XM. Microbiome differences in disease-resistant vs. susceptible Acropora corals subjected to disease challenge assays. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18279. [PMID: 31797896 PMCID: PMC6892807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54855-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades coral gardening has become increasingly popular to restore degraded reef ecosystems. However, the growth and survivorship of nursery-reared outplanted corals are highly variable. Scientists are trying to identify genotypes that show signs of disease resistance and leverage these genotypes in restoring more resilient populations. In a previous study, a field disease grafting assay was conducted on nursery-reared Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata to quantify relative disease susceptibility. In this study, we further evaluate this field assay by investigating putative disease-causing agents and the microbiome of corals with disease-resistant phenotypes. We conducted 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing on A. cervicornis and A. palmata that were grafted (inoculated) with a diseased A. cervicornis fragment. We found that independent of health state, A. cervicornis and A. palmata had distinct alpha and beta diversity patterns from one another and distinct dominant bacteria. In addition, despite different microbiome patterns between both inoculated coral species, the genus Sphingomonadaceae was significantly found in both diseased coral species. Additionally, a core bacteria member from the order Myxococcales was found at relatively higher abundances in corals with lower rates of disease development following grafting. In all, we identified Sphingomonadaceae as a putative coral pathogen and a bacterium from the order Myxococcales associated with corals that showed disease resistant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Rosales
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA.
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
| | - Margaret W Miller
- SECORE International, Miami, FL, 33145, USA
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Dana E Williams
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nikki Traylor-Knowles
- University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami, USA
| | - Benjamin Young
- University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami, USA
| | - Xaymara M Serrano
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
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35
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Sweet M, Burian A, Fifer J, Bulling M, Elliott D, Raymundo L. Compositional homogeneity in the pathobiome of a new, slow-spreading coral disease. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:139. [PMID: 31752998 PMCID: PMC6873542 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0759-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coral reefs face unprecedented declines in diversity and cover, a development largely attributed to climate change-induced bleaching and subsequent disease outbreaks. Coral-associated microbiomes may strongly influence the fitness of their hosts and alter heat tolerance and disease susceptibility of coral colonies. Here, we describe a new coral disease found in Micronesia and present a detailed assessment of infection-driven changes in the coral microbiome. RESULTS Combining field monitoring and histological, microscopic and next-generation barcoding assessments, we demonstrate that the outbreak of the disease, named 'grey-patch disease', is associated with the establishment of cyanobacterial biofilm overgrowing coral tissue. The disease is characterised by slow progression rates, with coral tissue sometimes growing back over the GPD biofilm. Network analysis of the corals' microbiome highlighted the clustering of specific microbes which appeared to benefit from the onset of disease, resulting in the formation of 'infection clusters' in the microbiomes of apparently healthy corals. CONCLUSIONS Our results appear to be in contrast to the recently proposed Anna-Karenina principle, which states that disturbances (such as disease) trigger chaotic dynamics in microbial communities and increase β-diversity. Here, we show significantly higher community similarity (compositional homogeneity) in the pathobiome of diseased corals, compared to the microbiome associated with apparently healthy tissue. A possible explanation for this pattern is strong competition between the pathogenic community and those associated with the 'healthy' coral holobiont, homogenising the composition of the pathobiome. Further, one of our key findings is that multiple agents appear to be involved in degrading the corals' defences causing the onset of this disease. This supports recent findings indicating a need for a shift from the one-pathogen-one-disease paradigm to exploring the importance of multiple pathogenic players in any given disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK.
| | - Alfred Burian
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - James Fifer
- Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU, 96923, Guam
| | - Mark Bulling
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - David Elliott
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Laurie Raymundo
- Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU, 96923, Guam
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36
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Parkinson JE, Baker AC, Baums IB, Davies SW, Grottoli AG, Kitchen SA, Matz MV, Miller MW, Shantz AA, Kenkel CD. Molecular tools for coral reef restoration: Beyond biomarker discovery. Conserv Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John Everett Parkinson
- SECORE International Miami Florida
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of South Florida Tampa Florida
| | - Andrew C. Baker
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ScienceUniversity of Miami Miami Florida
| | - Iliana B. Baums
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | | | | | - Sheila A. Kitchen
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Mikhail V. Matz
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
| | | | - Andrew A. Shantz
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ScienceUniversity of Miami Miami Florida
| | - Carly D. Kenkel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Southern California Los Angeles California
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37
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Bogan SN, Place SP. Accelerated evolution at chaperone promoters among Antarctic notothenioid fishes. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:205. [PMID: 31694524 PMCID: PMC6836667 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1524-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antarctic fishes of the Notothenioidei suborder constitutively upregulate multiple inducible chaperones, a highly derived adaptation that preserves proteostasis in extreme cold, and represent a system for studying the evolution of gene frontloading. We screened for Hsf1-binding sites, as Hsf1 is a master transcription factor of the heat shock response, and highly-conserved non-coding elements within proximal promoters of chaperone genes across 10 Antarctic notothens, 2 subpolar notothens, and 17 perciform fishes. We employed phylogenetic models of molecular evolution to determine whether (i) changes in motifs associated with Hsf1-binding and/or (ii) relaxed purifying selection or exaptation at ancestral cis-regulatory elements coincided with the evolution of chaperone frontloading in Antarctic notothens. RESULTS Antarctic notothens exhibited significantly fewer Hsf1-binding sites per bp at chaperone promoters than subpolar notothens and Serranoidei, the most closely-related suborder to Notothenioidei included in this study. 90% of chaperone promoters exhibited accelerated substitution rates among Antarctic notothens relative to other perciformes. The proportion of bases undergoing accelerated evolution (i) was significantly greater in Antarctic notothens than in subpolar notothens and Perciformes in 70% of chaperone genes and (ii) increased among bases that were more conserved among perciformes. Lastly, we detected evidence of relaxed purifying selection and exaptation acting on ancestrally conserved cis-regulatory elements in the Antarctic notothen lineage and its major branches. CONCLUSION A large degree of turnover has occurred in Notothenioidei at chaperone promoter regions that are conserved among perciform fishes following adaptation to the cooling of the Southern Ocean. Additionally, derived reductions in Hsf1-binding site frequency suggest cis-regulatory modifications to the classical heat shock response. Of note, turnover events within chaperone promoters were less frequent in the ancestral node of Antarctic notothens relative to younger Antarctic lineages. This suggests that cis-regulatory divergence at chaperone promoters may be greater between Antarctic notothen lineages than between subpolar and Antarctic clades. These findings demonstrate that strong selective forces have acted upon cis-regulatory elements of chaperone genes among Antarctic notothens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel N Bogan
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA. .,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Sean P Place
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA
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38
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Griffiths SM, Antwis RE, Lenzi L, Lucaci A, Behringer DC, Butler MJ, Preziosi RF. Host genetics and geography influence microbiome composition in the sponge Ircinia campana. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1684-1695. [PMID: 31325164 PMCID: PMC6899969 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Marine sponges are hosts to large, diverse communities of microorganisms. These microbiomes are distinct among sponge species and from seawater bacterial communities, indicating a key role of host identity in shaping its resident microbial community. However, the factors governing intraspecific microbiome variability are underexplored and may shed light on the evolutionary and ecological relationships between host and microbiome. Here, we examined the influence of genetic variation and geographic location on the composition of the Ircinia campana microbiome. We developed new microsatellite markers to genotype I. campana from two locations in the Florida Keys, USA, and characterized their microbiomes using V4 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We show that microbial community composition and diversity is influenced by host genotype, with more genetically similar sponges hosting more similar microbial communities. We also found that although I. campana was not genetically differentiated between sites, microbiome composition differed by location. Our results demonstrate that both host genetics and geography influence the composition of the sponge microbiome. Host genotypic influence on microbiome composition may be due to stable vertical transmission of the microbial community from parent to offspring, making microbiomes more similar by descent. Alternatively, sponge genotypic variation may reflect variation in functional traits that influence the acquisition of environmental microbes. This study reveals drivers of microbiome variation within and among locations, and shows the importance of intraspecific variability in mediating eco-evolutionary dynamics of host-associated microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Griffiths
- Ecology and Environment Research CentreManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
| | - Rachael E. Antwis
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of SalfordSalfordUK
| | - Luca Lenzi
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Anita Lucaci
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Donald C. Behringer
- Fisheries and Aquatic SciencesUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
- Emerging Pathogens InstituteUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
| | - Mark J. Butler
- Department of Biological SciencesOld Dominion UniversityNorfolkVAUSA
| | - Richard F. Preziosi
- Ecology and Environment Research CentreManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
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39
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Wright RM, Mera H, Kenkel CD, Nayfa M, Bay LK, Matz MV. Positive genetic associations among fitness traits support evolvability of a reef-building coral under multiple stressors. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:3294-3304. [PMID: 31301206 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Climate change threatens organisms in a variety of interactive ways that requires simultaneous adaptation of multiple traits. Predicting evolutionary responses requires an understanding of the potential for interactions among stressors and the genetic variance and covariance among fitness-related traits that may reinforce or constrain an adaptive response. Here we investigate the capacity of Acropora millepora, a reef-building coral, to adapt to multiple environmental stressors: rising sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, and increased prevalence of infectious diseases. We measured growth rates (weight gain), coral color (a proxy for Symbiodiniaceae density), and survival, in addition to nine physiological indicators of coral and algal health in 40 coral genets exposed to each of these three stressors singly and combined. Individual stressors resulted in predicted responses (e.g., corals developed lesions after bacterial challenge and bleached under thermal stress). However, corals did not suffer substantially more when all three stressors were combined. Nor were trade-offs observed between tolerances to different stressors; instead, individuals performing well under one stressor also tended to perform well under every other stressor. An analysis of genetic correlations between traits revealed positive covariances, suggesting that selection to multiple stressors will reinforce rather than constrain the simultaneous evolution of traits related to holobiont health (e.g., weight gain and algal density). These findings support the potential for rapid coral adaptation under climate change and emphasize the importance of accounting for corals' adaptive capacity when predicting the future of coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Hanaka Mera
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Carly D Kenkel
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Maria Nayfa
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Line K Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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40
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Dimos BA, Mahmud SA, Fuess LE, Mydlarz LD, Pellegrino MW. Uncovering a mitochondrial unfolded protein response in corals and its role in adapting to a changing world. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190470. [PMID: 31238849 PMCID: PMC6599992 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Anthropocene will be characterized by increased environmental disturbances, leading to the survival of stress-tolerant organisms, particularly in the oceans, where novel marine diseases and elevated temperatures are re-shaping ecosystems. These environmental changes underscore the importance of identifying mechanisms which promote stress tolerance in ecologically important non-model species such as reef-building corals. Mitochondria are central regulators of cellular stress and have dedicated recovery pathways including the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, which increases the transcription of protective genes promoting protein homeostasis, free radical detoxification and innate immunity. In this investigation, we identify a mitochondrial unfolded protein response in the endangered Caribbean coral Orbicella faveolata, by performing in vivo functional replacement using a transcription factor (Of-ATF5) originating from a coral in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. In addition, we use RNA-seq network analysis and transcription factor-binding predictions to identify a transcriptional network of genes likely to be regulated by Of-ATF5 which is induced during the immune challenge and temperature stress. Overall, our findings uncover a conserved cellular pathway which may promote the ability of reef-building corals to survive increasing levels of environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradford A Dimos
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019 , USA
| | - Siraje A Mahmud
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019 , USA
| | - Lauren E Fuess
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019 , USA
| | - Laura D Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019 , USA
| | - Mark W Pellegrino
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019 , USA
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41
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Wright RM, Strader ME, Genuise HM, Matz M. Effects of thermal stress on amount, composition, and antibacterial properties of coral mucus. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6849. [PMID: 31106065 PMCID: PMC6497039 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The surface mucus layer of reef-building corals supports feeding, sediment clearing, and protection from pathogenic invaders. As much as half of the fixed carbon supplied by the corals’ photosynthetic symbionts is incorporated into expelled mucus. It is therefore reasonable to expect that coral bleaching (disruption of the coral–algal symbiosis) would affect mucus production. Since coral mucus serves as an important nutrient source for the entire reef community, this could have substantial ecosystem-wide consequences. In this study, we examined the effects of heat stress-induced coral bleaching on the composition and antibacterial properties of coral mucus. In a controlled laboratory thermal challenge, stressed corals produced mucus with higher protein (β = 2.1, p < 0.001) and lipid content (β = 15.7, p = 0.02) and increased antibacterial activity (likelihood ratio = 100, p < 0.001) relative to clonal controls. These results are likely explained by the expelled symbionts in the mucus of bleached individuals. Our study suggests that coral bleaching could immediately impact the nutrient flux in the coral reef ecosystem via its effect on coral mucus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Wright
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Marie E Strader
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America
| | - Heather M Genuise
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
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42
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Abstract
Herein we propose an ambitious confrontation of the current coral reef crisis through the establishment of a "Coral Hospital." In an analogous manner to a human hospital, "sick" corals will first be diagnosed either in situ or in the hospital's diagnostic "clinic" such that the root cause of illness can be discerned (e.g., disease, high temperatures, or pollutant stress). Then, corals will be "treated" (when necessary) and allowed to "convalesce" in precisely controlled coral husbandry facilities. Upon "rehabilitation," the recovered corals will be returned to their home reef (if this reef was not found to have degraded), or, alternatively, to a site featuring oceanographic conditions favoring a high level of health, as determined by husbandry experiments performed in other hospital "wards." When possible, diagnostic data from the sick corals (i.e., the underlying cause of sickness) will be used to guide environmental remediation schemes aimed at promoting coral resilience in the ocean. If the home reef improves to an appreciable extent during the time the corals are "hospitalized," these corals could be replanted there upon rehabilitation. Regardless of the site of outplanting, recuperated corals will be monitored over time to validate the "quality of care" in the hospital. In the event that the home reefs suffer to such an extent that environmental mitigation is no longer possible, coral gametes will be collected and cryopreserved such that they may be fertilized, reared in officinarum, and later reseeded once/if global marine conditions again permit coral survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- 1Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Taiwan
| | - Sujune Tsai
- 2Department of Post-Modern Agriculture, Ming-Dao University, Beidou, Taiwan
| | - Chiahsin Lin
- 1Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Taiwan.,3Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Taiwan
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43
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Shelyakin PV, Garushyants SK, Nikitin MA, Mudrova SV, Berumen M, Speksnijder AGCL, Hoeksema BW, Fontaneto D, Gelfand MS, Ivanenko VN. Microbiomes of gall-inducing copepod crustaceans from the corals Stylophora pistillata (Scleractinia) and Gorgonia ventalina (Alcyonacea). Sci Rep 2018; 8:11563. [PMID: 30069039 PMCID: PMC6070567 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29953-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Corals harbor complex and diverse microbial communities that strongly impact host fitness and resistance to diseases, but these microbes themselves can be influenced by stresses, like those caused by the presence of macroscopic symbionts. In addition to directly influencing the host, symbionts may transmit pathogenic microbial communities. We analyzed two coral gall-forming copepod systems by using 16S rRNA gene metagenomic sequencing: (1) the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina with copepods of the genus Sphaerippe from the Caribbean and (2) the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata with copepods of the genus Spaniomolgus from the Saudi Arabian part of the Red Sea. We show that bacterial communities in these two systems were substantially different with Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria more prevalent in samples from Gorgonia ventalina, and Gammaproteobacteria in Stylophora pistillata. In Stylophora pistillata, normal coral microbiomes were enriched with the common coral symbiont Endozoicomonas and some unclassified bacteria, while copepod and gall-tissue microbiomes were highly enriched with the family ME2 (Oceanospirillales) or Rhodobacteraceae. In Gorgonia ventalina, no bacterial group had significantly different prevalence in the normal coral tissues, copepods, and injured tissues. The total microbiome composition of polyps injured by copepods was different. Contrary to our expectations, the microbial community composition of the injured gall tissues was not directly affected by the microbiome of the gall-forming symbiont copepods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel V Shelyakin
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RAS, B. Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127051, Russia.,Vavilov Institute of General Genetics RAS, Gubkina str. 3, Moscow, 119333, Russia
| | - Sofya K Garushyants
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RAS, B. Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127051, Russia.,Center for Data-Intensive Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Nobel str. 1, Moscow, 121205, Russia
| | - Mikhail A Nikitin
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - Sofya V Mudrova
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael Berumen
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Bert W Hoeksema
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, 2332 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Diego Fontaneto
- National Research Council, Institute of Ecosystem Study, Verbania, 28922, Italy
| | - Mikhail S Gelfand
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RAS, B. Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127051, Russia.,Center for Data-Intensive Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Nobel str. 1, Moscow, 121205, Russia.,Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.,Faculty of Computer Science, Higher School of Economics, Kochnovsky pr. 3, Moscow, 125319, Russia
| | - Viatcheslav N Ivanenko
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, 2332 AA, The Netherlands. .,Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.
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44
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Barfield SJ, Aglyamova GV, Bay LK, Matz MV. Contrasting effects of
Symbiodinium
identity on coral host transcriptional profiles across latitudes. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3103-3115. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Barfield
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
| | - Galina V. Aglyamova
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
| | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science Townsville QLD Australia
| | - Mikhail V. Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
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45
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Abstract
Climate change is killing coral at an unprecedented rate. As immune systems promote homeostasis and survival of adverse conditions I propose we explore coral health in the context of holobiont immunity. Caroline Palmer proposes the concept of coral holobiont damage thresholds to stimulate research into coral health and immunity as tropical reefs are increasingly threatened by climate change. This framework may be used to develop targeted approaches to coral reef restoration, management and conservation.
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46
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Fuess LE, Mann WT, Jinks LR, Brinkhuis V, Mydlarz LD. Transcriptional analyses provide new insight into the late-stage immune response of a diseased Caribbean coral. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172062. [PMID: 29892394 PMCID: PMC5990752 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Increasing global temperatures due to climate change have resulted in respective increases in the severity and frequency of epizootics around the globe. Corals in particular have faced rapid declines due to disease outbreaks. Understanding immune responses and associated potential life-history trade-offs is therefore a priority. In the autumn of 2011, a novel disease of octocorals of the genus Eunicea was first documented in the Florida Keys. Termed Eunicea Black Disease (EBD), the disease is easily identified by the dark appearance of affected tissue, caused by a strong melanization response on the part of the host. In order to better understand the response of corals to EBD, we conducted full transcriptome analysis of 3 healthy and 3 diseased specimens of Eunicea calyculata collected from offshore southeast Florida. Differential expression and protein analyses revealed a strong, diverse immune response to EBD characterized by phagocytosis, adhesion and melanization on the part of the host. Furthermore, coexpression network analyses suggested this might come at the cost of reduced cell cycle progression and growth. This is in accordance with past histological studies of naturally infected hard corals, suggesting that potential trade-offs during infection may affect post-outbreak recovery of reef ecosystems by reducing both organismal growth and fecundity. Our findings highlight the importance of considering factors beyond mortality when estimating effects of disease outbreaks on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E. Fuess
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Whitney T. Mann
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Lea R. Jinks
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Vanessa Brinkhuis
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 8th Avenue SE, St Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
| | - Laura D. Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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47
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van de Water JAJM, Chaib De Mares M, Dixon GB, Raina JB, Willis BL, Bourne DG, van Oppen MJH. Antimicrobial and stress responses to increased temperature and bacterial pathogen challenge in the holobiont of a reef-building coral. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1065-1080. [PMID: 29334418 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Global increases in coral disease prevalence have been linked to ocean warming through changes in coral-associated bacterial communities, pathogen virulence and immune system function. However, the interactive effects of temperature and pathogens on the coral holobiont are poorly understood. Here, we assessed three compartments of the holobiont (host, Symbiodinium and bacterial community) of the coral Montipora aequituberculata challenged with the pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus and the commensal bacterium Oceanospirillales sp. under ambient (27°C) and elevated (29.5 and 32°C) seawater temperatures. Few visual signs of bleaching and disease development were apparent in any of the treatments, but responses were detected in the holobiont compartments. V. coralliilyticus acted synergistically and negatively impacted the photochemical efficiency of Symbiodinium at 32°C, while Oceanospirillales had no significant effect on photosynthetic efficiency. The coral, however, exhibited a minor response to the bacterial challenges, with the response towards V. coralliilyticus being significantly more pronounced, and involving the prophenoloxidase-activating system and multiple immune system-related genes. Elevated seawater temperatures did not induce shifts in the coral-associated bacterial community, but caused significant gene expression modulation in both Symbiodinium and the coral host. While Symbiodinium exhibited an antiviral response and upregulated stress response genes, M. aequituberculata showed regulation of genes involved in stress and innate immune response processes, including immune and cytokine receptor signalling, the complement system, immune cell activation and phagocytosis, as well as molecular chaperones. These observations show that M. aequituberculata is capable of maintaining a stable bacterial community under elevated seawater temperatures and thereby contributes to preventing disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen A J M van de Water
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Département de Biologie Marine, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Principauté de Monaco
| | - Maryam Chaib De Mares
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Groves B Dixon
- Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jean-Baptiste Raina
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bette L Willis
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - David G Bourne
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia.,School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
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48
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Leite DCA, Salles JF, Calderon EN, van Elsas JD, Peixoto RS. Specific plasmid patterns and high rates of bacterial co-occurrence within the coral holobiont. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1818-1832. [PMID: 29435256 PMCID: PMC5792611 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of coral microbiomes for holobiont persistence, the interactions among these are not well understood. In particular, knowledge of the co-occurrence and taxonomic importance of specific members of the microbial core, as well as patterns of specific mobile genetic elements (MGEs), is lacking. We used seawater and mucus samples collected from Mussismilia hispida colonies on two reefs located in Bahia, Brazil, to disentangle their associated bacterial communities, intertaxa correlations, and plasmid patterns. Proxies for two broad-host-range (BHR) plasmid groups, IncP-1β and PromA, were screened. Both groups were significantly (up to 252 and 100%, respectively) more abundant in coral mucus than in seawater. Notably, the PromA plasmid group was detected only in coral mucus samples. The core bacteriome of M. hispida mucus was composed primarily of members of the Proteobacteria, followed by those of Firmicutes. Significant host specificity and co-occurrences among different groups of the dominant phyla (e.g., Bacillaceae and Pseudoalteromonadaceae and the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Vibrio) were detected. These relationships were observed for both the most abundant phyla and the bacteriome core, in which most of the operational taxonomic units showed intertaxa correlations. The observed evidence of host-specific bacteriome and co-occurrence (and potential symbioses or niche space co-dominance) among the most dominant members indicates a taxonomic selection of members of the stable bacterial community. In parallel, host-specific plasmid patterns could also be, independently, related to the assembly of members of the coral microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah C. A. Leite
- Institute of MicrobiologyFederal University of Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Joana F. Salles
- Genomics Research in Ecology and Evolution in Nature ‐ Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Emiliano N. Calderon
- NUPEM/MacaéFederal University of Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- Instituto Coral VivoSanta Cruz CabráliaBrazil
| | - Jan D. van Elsas
- Genomics Research in Ecology and Evolution in Nature ‐ Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Raquel S. Peixoto
- Institute of MicrobiologyFederal University of Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- IMAM‐AquaRio – Rio Marine Aquarium Research CenterRio de JaneiroBrazil
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49
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Chandler VK, Wares JP. RNA expression and disease tolerance are associated with a "keystone mutation" in the ochre sea star Pisaster ochraceus. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3696. [PMID: 28828278 PMCID: PMC5562136 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An overdominant mutation in an intron of the elongation factor 1-α (EF1A) gene in the sea star Pisaster ochraceus has shown itself to mediate tolerance to "sea star wasting disease", a pandemic that has significantly reduced sea star populations on the Pacific coast of North America. Here we use RNA sequencing of healthy individuals to identify differences in constitutive expression of gene regions that may help explain this tolerance phenotype. Our results show that individuals carrying this mutation have lower expression at a large contingent of gene regions. Individuals without this mutation also appear to have a greater cellular response to temperature stress, which has been implicated in the outbreak of sea star wasting disease. Given the ecological significance of P. ochraceus, these results may be useful in predicting the evolutionary and demographic future for Pacific intertidal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Katelyn Chandler
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - John P. Wares
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
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