1
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Tran C, Rosenfield GR, Cleves PA, Krediet CJ, Paul MR, Clowez S, Grossman AR, Pringle JR. Photosynthesis and other factors affecting the establishment and maintenance of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230079. [PMID: 38497261 PMCID: PMC10945401 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral growth depends on the partnership between the animal hosts and their intracellular, photosynthetic dinoflagellate symbionts. In this study, we used the sea anemone Aiptasia, a laboratory model for coral biology, to investigate the poorly understood mechanisms that mediate symbiosis establishment and maintenance. We found that initial colonization of both adult polyps and larvae by a compatible algal strain was more effective when the algae were able to photosynthesize and that the long-term maintenance of the symbiosis also depended on photosynthesis. In the dark, algal cells were taken up into host gastrodermal cells and not rapidly expelled, but they seemed unable to reproduce and thus were gradually lost. When we used confocal microscopy to examine the interaction of larvae with two algal strains that cannot establish stable symbioses with Aiptasia, it appeared that both pre- and post-phagocytosis mechanisms were involved. With one strain, algae entered the gastric cavity but appeared to be completely excluded from the gastrodermal cells. With the other strain, small numbers of algae entered the gastrodermal cells but appeared unable to proliferate there and were slowly lost upon further incubation. We also asked if the exclusion of either incompatible strain could result simply from their cells' being too large for the host cells to accommodate. However, the size distributions of the compatible and incompatible strains overlapped extensively. Moreover, examination of macerates confirmed earlier reports that individual gastrodermal cells could expand to accommodate multiple algal cells. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sculpting the microbiome: how host factors determine and respond to microbial colonization'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cawa Tran
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
| | - Gabriel R. Rosenfield
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Phillip A. Cleves
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Cory J. Krediet
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Maitri R. Paul
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Sophie Clowez
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Arthur R. Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - John R. Pringle
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
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2
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Iguchi A, Iijima M, Mizusawa N, Ohno Y, Yasumoto K, Suzuki A, Suga S, Tanaka K, Zaitsu K. Single-polyp metabolomics for coral health assessment. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3369. [PMID: 38443414 PMCID: PMC10914721 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53294-8] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems supported by environmentally sensitive reef-building corals face serious threats from human activities. Our understanding of these reef threats is hampered by the lack of sufficiently sensitive coral environmental impact assessment systems. In this study, we established a platform for metabolomic analysis at the single-coral-polyp level using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry (probe electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry; PESI/MS/MS) capable of fine-scale analysis. We analyzed the impact of the organic UV filter, benzophenone (BP), which has a negative impact on corals. We also analyzed ammonium and nitrate samples, which affect the environmental sensitivity of coral-zooxanthella (Symbiodiniaceae) holobionts, to provide new insights into coral biology with a focus on metabolites. The method established in this study breaks new ground by combining PESI/MS/MS with a technique for coral polyps that can control the presence or absence of zooxanthellae in corals, enabling functions of zooxanthellae to be assessed on a polyp-by-polyp basis for the first time. This system will clarify biological mechanisms of corals and will become an important model system for environmental impact assessment using marine organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Iguchi
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan.
- Research Laboratory on Environmentally-Conscious Developments and Technologies [E-Code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan.
| | - Mariko Iijima
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Nanami Mizusawa
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Ohno
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Ko Yasumoto
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan
- Research Laboratory on Environmentally-Conscious Developments and Technologies [E-Code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Shunichi Suga
- Research Laboratories, KOSÉ Corporation, 48-18, Sakae-cho, Kita-ku, Tokyo, 114-0005, Japan
| | - Ken Tanaka
- Research Laboratories, KOSÉ Corporation, 48-18, Sakae-cho, Kita-ku, Tokyo, 114-0005, Japan
| | - Kei Zaitsu
- Multimodal Informatics and Wide-Data Analytics Laboratory (MiWA-Lab.), Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology, Kindai University, Nishimitani, Kinokawa, Wakayama, 649-6493, Japan.
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3
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Valadez-Ingersoll M, Aguirre Carrión PJ, Bodnar CA, Desai NA, Gilmore TD, Davies SW. Starvation differentially affects gene expression, immunity and pathogen susceptibility across symbiotic states in a model cnidarian. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231685. [PMID: 38412969 PMCID: PMC10898965 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1685] [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: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Mutualistic symbioses between cnidarians and photosynthetic algae are modulated by complex interactions between host immunity and environmental conditions. Here, we investigate how symbiosis interacts with food limitation to influence gene expression and stress response programming in the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (Aiptasia). Transcriptomic responses to starvation were similar between symbiotic and aposymbiotic Aiptasia; however, aposymbiotic anemone responses were stronger. Starved Aiptasia of both symbiotic states exhibited increased protein levels of immune-related transcription factor NF-κB, its associated gene pathways, and putative target genes. However, this starvation-induced increase in NF-κB correlated with increased immunity only in symbiotic anemones. Furthermore, starvation had opposite effects on Aiptasia susceptibility to pathogen and oxidative stress challenges, suggesting distinct energetic priorities under food scarce conditions. Finally, when we compared starvation responses in Aiptasia to those of a facultative coral and non-symbiotic anemone, 'defence' responses were similarly regulated in Aiptasia and the facultative coral, but not in the non-symbiotic anemone. This pattern suggests that capacity for symbiosis influences immune responses in cnidarians. In summary, expression of certain immune pathways-including NF-κB-does not necessarily predict susceptibility to pathogens, highlighting the complexities of cnidarian immunity and the influence of symbiosis under varying energetic demands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caoimhe A. Bodnar
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Niharika A. Desai
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Thomas D. Gilmore
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sarah W. Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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4
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Zimmermann B, Montenegro JD, Robb SMC, Fropf WJ, Weilguny L, He S, Chen S, Lovegrove-Walsh J, Hill EM, Chen CY, Ragkousi K, Praher D, Fredman D, Schultz D, Moran Y, Simakov O, Genikhovich G, Gibson MC, Technau U. Topological structures and syntenic conservation in sea anemone genomes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8270. [PMID: 38092765 PMCID: PMC10719294 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44080-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
There is currently little information about the evolution of gene clusters, genome architectures and karyotypes in early branching animals. Slowly evolving anthozoan cnidarians can be particularly informative about the evolution of these genome features. Here we report chromosome-level genome assemblies of two related anthozoans, the sea anemones Nematostella vectensis and Scolanthus callimorphus. We find a robust set of 15 chromosomes with a clear one-to-one correspondence between the two species. Both genomes show chromosomal conservation, allowing us to reconstruct ancestral cnidarian and metazoan chromosomal blocks, consisting of at least 19 and 16 ancestral linkage groups, respectively. We show that, in contrast to Bilateria, the Hox and NK clusters of investigated cnidarians are largely disintegrated, despite the presence of staggered hox/gbx expression in Nematostella. This loss of microsynteny conservation may be facilitated by shorter distances between cis-regulatory sequences and their cognate transcriptional start sites. We find no clear evidence for topologically associated domains, suggesting fundamental differences in long-range gene regulation compared to vertebrates. These data suggest that large sets of ancestral metazoan genes have been retained in ancestral linkage groups of some extant lineages; yet, higher order gene regulation with associated 3D architecture may have evolved only after the cnidarian-bilaterian split.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Zimmermann
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Research platform SinCeReSt, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Juan D Montenegro
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Research platform SinCeReSt, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sofia M C Robb
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Whitney J Fropf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Lukas Weilguny
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shuonan He
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Shiyuan Chen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Jessica Lovegrove-Walsh
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eric M Hill
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Cheng-Yi Chen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Katerina Ragkousi
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- Department of Biology, Amherst College, Amherst, MA, 01002, USA
| | - Daniela Praher
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Fredman
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Darrin Schultz
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Oleg Simakov
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Research platform SinCeReSt, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthew C Gibson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA.
| | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
- Research platform SinCeReSt, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
- Max Perutz laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 5, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
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5
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Selwyn JD, Vollmer SV. Whole genome assembly and annotation of the endangered Caribbean coral Acropora cervicornis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad232. [PMID: 37804092 PMCID: PMC10700113 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad232] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Coral species in the genus Acropora are key ecological components of coral reefs worldwide and represent the most diverse genus of scleractinian corals. While key species of Indo-Pacific Acropora have annotated genomes, no annotated genome has been published for either of the two species of Caribbean Acropora. Here we present the first fully annotated genome of the endangered Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis. We assembled and annotated this genome using high-fidelity nanopore long-read sequencing with gene annotations validated with mRNA sequencing. The assembled genome size is 318 Mb, with 28,059 validated genes. Comparative genomic analyses with other Acropora revealed unique features in A. cervicornis, including contractions in immune pathways and expansions in signaling pathways. Phylogenetic analysis confirms previous findings showing that A. cervicornis diverged from Indo-Pacific relatives around 41 million years ago, with the closure of the western Tethys Sea, prior to the primary radiation of Indo-Pacific Acropora. This new A. cervicornis genome enriches our understanding of the speciose Acropora and addresses evolutionary inquiries concerning speciation and hybridization in this diverse clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Selwyn
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USA
| | - Steven V Vollmer
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USA
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6
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Jacobovitz MR, Hambleton EA, Guse A. Unlocking the Complex Cell Biology of Coral-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis: A Model Systems Approach. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:411-434. [PMID: 37722685 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-072320-125436] [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] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions occur in all domains of life, providing organisms with resources to adapt to new habitats. A prime example is the endosymbiosis between corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates. Eukaryotic dinoflagellate symbionts reside inside coral cells and transfer essential nutrients to their hosts, driving the productivity of the most biodiverse marine ecosystem. Recent advances in molecular and genomic characterization have revealed symbiosis-specific genes and mechanisms shared among symbiotic cnidarians. In this review, we focus on the cellular and molecular processes that underpin the interaction between symbiont and host. We discuss symbiont acquisition via phagocytosis, modulation of host innate immunity, symbiont integration into host cell metabolism, and nutrient exchange as a fundamental aspect of stable symbiotic associations. We emphasize the importance of using model systems to dissect the cellular complexity of endosymbiosis, which ultimately serves as the basis for understanding its ecology and capacity to adapt in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R Jacobovitz
- Cell Biology and Biophysics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Hambleton
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
| | - Annika Guse
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany;
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7
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Han T, Liao X, Guo Z, Chen JY, He C, Lu Z. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals deep molecular landscapes in stony coral Montipora clade. Front Genet 2023; 14:1297483. [PMID: 38028626 PMCID: PMC10662330 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1297483] [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: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Coral reefs, among the most invaluable ecosystems in the world, face escalating threats from climate change and anthropogenic activities. To decipher the genetic underpinnings of coral adaptation and resilience, we undertook comprehensive transcriptome profiling of two emblematic coral species, Montipora foliosa and Montipora capricornis, leveraging PacBio Iso-Seq technology. These species were strategically selected for their ecological significance and their taxonomic proximity within the Anthozoa class. Methods: Our study encompassed the generation of pristine transcriptomes, followed by thorough functional annotation via diverse databases. Subsequently, we quantified transcript abundance and scrutinized gene expression patterns, revealing notable distinctions between the two species. Results: Intriguingly, shared orthologous genes were identified across a spectrum of coral species, highlighting a substantial genetic conservation within scleractinian corals. Importantly, a subset of genes, integral to biomineralization processes, emerged as exclusive to scleractinian corals, shedding light on their intricate evolutionary history. Furthermore, we discerned pronounced upregulation of genes linked to immunity, stress response, and oxidative-reduction processes in M. foliosa relative to M. capricornis. These findings hint at the presence of more robust mechanisms in M. foliosa for maintaining internal equilibrium and effectively navigating external challenges, underpinning its potential ecological advantage. Beyond elucidating genetic adaptation in corals, our research underscores the urgency of preserving genetic diversity within coral populations. Discussion: These insights hold promise for informed conservation strategies aimed at safeguarding these imperiled ecosystems, bearing ecological and economic significance. In synthesis, our study seamlessly integrates genomic inquiry with ecological relevance, bridging the gap between molecular insights and the imperative to conserve coral reefs in the face of mounting threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingyu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Liao
- Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Beihai, China
| | - Zhuojun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - J.-Y. Chen
- Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Nanjing, China
| | - Chunpeng He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zuhong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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8
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Rädecker N, Escrig S, Spangenberg JE, Voolstra CR, Meibom A. Coupled carbon and nitrogen cycling regulates the cnidarian-algal symbiosis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6948. [PMID: 37914705 PMCID: PMC10620199 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42579-7] [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: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient nutrient recycling underpins the ecological success of cnidarian-algal symbioses in oligotrophic waters. In these symbioses, nitrogen limitation restricts the growth of algal endosymbionts in hospite and stimulates their release of photosynthates to the cnidarian host. However, the mechanisms controlling nitrogen availability and their role in symbiosis regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the metabolic regulation of symbiotic nitrogen cycling in the sea anemone Aiptasia by experimentally altering labile carbon availability in a series of experiments. Combining 13C and 15N stable isotope labeling experiments with physiological analyses and NanoSIMS imaging, we show that the competition for environmental ammonium between the host and its algal symbionts is regulated by labile carbon availability. Light regimes optimal for algal photosynthesis increase carbon availability in the holobiont and stimulate nitrogen assimilation in the host metabolism. Consequently, algal symbiont densities are lowest under optimal environmental conditions and increase toward the lower and upper light tolerance limits of the symbiosis. This metabolic regulation promotes efficient carbon recycling in a stable symbiosis across a wide range of environmental conditions. Yet, the dependence on resource competition may favor parasitic interactions, explaining the instability of the cnidarian-algal symbiosis as environmental conditions in the Anthropocene shift towards its tolerance limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Rädecker
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Stéphane Escrig
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jorge E Spangenberg
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Anders Meibom
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Advanced Surface Analysis, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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9
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He LS, Qi Y, Allard CAH, Valencia-Montoya WA, Krueger SP, Weir K, Seminara A, Bellono NW. Molecular tuning of sea anemone stinging. eLife 2023; 12:RP88900. [PMID: 37906220 PMCID: PMC10617991 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88900] [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] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Jellyfish and sea anemones fire single-use, venom-covered barbs to immobilize prey or predators. We previously showed that the anemone Nematostella vectensis uses a specialized voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channel to trigger stinging in response to synergistic prey-derived chemicals and touch (Weir et al., 2020). Here, we use experiments and theory to find that stinging behavior is suited to distinct ecological niches. We find that the burrowing anemone Nematostella uses uniquely strong CaV inactivation for precise control of predatory stinging. In contrast, the related anemone Exaiptasia diaphana inhabits exposed environments to support photosynthetic endosymbionts. Consistent with its niche, Exaiptasia indiscriminately stings for defense and expresses a CaV splice variant that confers weak inactivation. Chimeric analyses reveal that CaVβ subunit adaptations regulate inactivation, suggesting an evolutionary tuning mechanism for stinging behavior. These findings demonstrate how functional specialization of ion channel structure contributes to distinct organismal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily S He
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Yujia Qi
- Machine Learning Center Genoa (MalGa), Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Corey AH Allard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Wendy A Valencia-Montoya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Stephanie P Krueger
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Keiko Weir
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Agnese Seminara
- Machine Learning Center Genoa (MalGa), Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Nicholas W Bellono
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
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10
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Yoshioka Y, Chiu YL, Uchida T, Yamashita H, Suzuki G, Shinzato C. Genes possibly related to symbiosis in early life stages of Acropora tenuis inoculated with Symbiodinium microadriaticum. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1027. [PMID: 37853100 PMCID: PMC10584924 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05350-8] [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: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the ecological importance of mutualism between reef-building corals and symbiotic algae (Family Symbiodiniaceae), various transcriptomic studies on coral-algal symbiosis have been performed; however, molecular mechanisms, especially genes essential to initiate and maintain these symbioses remain unknown. We investigated transcriptomic responses of Acropora tenuis to inoculation with the native algal symbiont, Symbiodinium microadriaticum, during early life stages, and identified possible symbiosis-related genes. Genes involved in immune regulation, protection against oxidative stress, and metabolic interactions between partners are particularly important for symbiosis during Acropora early life stages. In addition, molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that some possible symbiosis-related genes originated by gene duplication in the Acropora lineage, suggesting that gene duplication may have been the driving force to establish stable mutualism in Acropora, and that symbiotic molecular mechanisms may vary among coral lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Yoshioka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.
| | - Yi-Ling Chiu
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Taiga Uchida
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yamashita
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Go Suzuki
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Chuya Shinzato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
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11
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Delgado A, Larson P, Sheridan N, Daly M. Bellactis lux n. sp. (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria: Aiptasiidae), a new sea anemone from the Gulf of Mexico. Zootaxa 2023; 5353:379-392. [PMID: 38220677 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.4.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Here we describe a new species of sea anemone from the family Aiptasiidae based on specimens collected from the Gulf of Mexico (USA: Florida & Alabama). Accounts of this species have been known since the early 1990s, primarily from an underwater field guide and hobbyist aquarium literature under the name Lightbulb Anemone. We describe it as a new species from the genus Bellactis based on anatomy, histology, and cnidom. Members of this species are small in size, with a smooth, typically contracted column divided into regions based on color and bearing rows of two or three elevated cinclides in the mid column. Their tentacles are distinctive, translucent, distally inflated and can be bulbous in shape, with sub annular rings. This description synthesizes information about Bellactis and contextualizes what is known about its diversity in light of other members of the Aiptasiidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Delgado
- Department of Evolution; Ecology & Organismal Biology; The Ohio State University; Columbus Ohio USA 43210.
| | - Paul Larson
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 100 8 Avenue SE; St. Petersburg; FL 33701; USA.
| | - Nancy Sheridan
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 100 8 Avenue SE; St. Petersburg; FL 33701; USA.
| | - Marymegan Daly
- Department of Evolution; Ecology & Organismal Biology; The Ohio State University; Columbus Ohio USA 43210.
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12
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Maegele I, Rupp S, Özbek S, Guse A, Hambleton EA, Holstein TW. A predatory gastrula leads to symbiosis-independent settlement in Aiptasia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311872120. [PMID: 37748072 PMCID: PMC10556626 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311872120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The planula larvae of the sea anemone Aiptasia have so far not been reported to complete their life cycle by undergoing metamorphosis into adult forms. This has been a major obstacle in their use as a model for coral-dinoflagellate endosymbiosis. Here, we show that Aiptasia larvae actively feed on crustacean nauplii, displaying a preference for live prey. This feeding behavior relies on functional stinging cells, indicative of complex neuronal control. Regular feeding leads to significant size increase, morphological changes, and efficient settlement around 14 d postfertilization. Surprisingly, the presence of dinoflagellate endosymbionts does not affect larval growth or settlement dynamics but is crucial for sexual reproduction. Our findings finally close Aiptasia's life cycle and highlight the functional nature of its larvae, as in Haeckel's Gastrea postulate, yet reveal its active carnivory, thus contributing to our understanding of early metazoan evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ira Maegele
- Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Rupp
- Quantitative Organismic Networks, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 82152Martinsried, Germany
| | - Suat Özbek
- Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Annika Guse
- Quantitative Organismic Networks, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 82152Martinsried, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A. Hambleton
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, 1030Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas W. Holstein
- Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120Heidelberg, Germany
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13
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He LS, Qi Y, Allard CAH, Valencia-Montoya WA, Krueger SP, Weir K, Seminara A, Bellono NW. Molecular tuning of sea anemone stinging. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.15.545144. [PMID: 37577638 PMCID: PMC10418081 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.15.545144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Jellyfish and sea anemones fire single-use, venom-covered barbs to immobilize prey or predators. We previously showed that the anemone Nematostella vectensis uses a specialized voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channel to trigger stinging in response to synergistic prey-derived chemicals and touch (Weir et al., 2020). Here we use experiments and theory to find that stinging behavior is suited to distinct ecological niches. We find that the burrowing anemone Nematostella uses uniquely strong CaV inactivation for precise control of predatory stinging. In contrast, the related anemone Exaiptasia diaphana inhabits exposed environments to support photosynthetic endosymbionts. Consistent with its niche, Exaiptasia indiscriminately stings for defense and expresses a CaV splice variant that confers weak inactivation. Chimeric analyses reveal that CaVβ subunit adaptations regulate inactivation, suggesting an evolutionary tuning mechanism for stinging behavior. These findings demonstrate how functional specialization of ion channel structure contributes to distinct organismal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily S He
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Yujia Qi
- Machine Learning Center Genoa (MalGa), Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy
| | - Corey AH Allard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Wendy A Valencia-Montoya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Stephanie P Krueger
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Keiko Weir
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Agnese Seminara
- Machine Learning Center Genoa (MalGa), Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy
| | - Nicholas W Bellono
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
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14
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Williams A, Stephens TG, Shumaker A, Bhattacharya D. Peeling back the layers of coral holobiont multi-omics data. iScience 2023; 26:107623. [PMID: 37694134 PMCID: PMC10482995 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107623] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The integration of multiple 'omics' datasets is a promising avenue for answering many important and challenging questions in biology, particularly those relating to complex ecological systems. Although multi-omics was developed using data from model organisms with significant prior knowledge and resources, its application to non-model organisms, such as coral holobionts, is less clear-cut. We explore, in the emerging rice coral model Montipora capitata, the intersection of holobiont transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and microbiome amplicon data and investigate how well they correlate under high temperature treatment. Using a typical thermal stress regime, we show that transcriptomic and proteomic data broadly capture the stress response of the coral, whereas the metabolome and microbiome datasets show patterns that likely reflect stochastic and homeostatic processes associated with each sample. These results provide a framework for interpreting multi-omics data generated from non-model systems, particularly those with complex biotic interactions among microbial partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Williams
- Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Timothy G. Stephens
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Alexander Shumaker
- Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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15
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Voss PA, Gornik SG, Jacobovitz MR, Rupp S, Dörr M, Maegele I, Guse A. Host nutrient sensing is mediated by mTOR signaling in cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3634-3647.e5. [PMID: 37572664 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
To survive in the nutrient-poor waters of the tropics, reef-building corals rely on intracellular, photosynthetic dinoflagellate symbionts. Photosynthates produced by the symbiont are translocated to the host, and this enables corals to form the structural foundation of the most biodiverse of all marine ecosystems. Although the regulation of nutrient exchange between partners is critical for ecosystem stability and health, the mechanisms governing how nutrients are sensed, transferred, and integrated into host cell processes are largely unknown. Ubiquitous among eukaryotes, the mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway integrates intracellular and extracellular stimuli to influence cell growth and cell-cycle progression and to balance metabolic processes. A functional role of mTOR in the integration of host and symbiont was demonstrated in various nutritional symbioses, and a similar role of mTOR was proposed for coral-algal symbioses. Using the endosymbiosis model Aiptasia, we examined the role of mTOR signaling in both larvae and adult polyps across various stages of symbiosis. We found that symbiosis enhances cell proliferation, and using an Aiptasia-specific antibody, we localized mTOR to symbiosome membranes. We found that mTOR signaling is activated by symbiosis, while inhibition of mTOR signaling disrupts intracellular niche establishment and symbiosis altogether. Additionally, we observed that dysbiosis was a conserved response to mTOR inhibition in the larvae of a reef-building coral species. Our data confim that mTOR signaling plays a pivotal role in integrating symbiont-derived nutrients into host metabolism and symbiosis stability, ultimately allowing symbiotic cnidarians to thrive in challenging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp A Voss
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Sebastian G Gornik
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Marie R Jacobovitz
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Sebastian Rupp
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Melanie Dörr
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Ira Maegele
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany
| | - Annika Guse
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, Heidelberg 69120 Germany.
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16
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Wuerz M, Lawson CA, Oakley CA, Possell M, Wilkinson SP, Grossman AR, Weis VM, Suggett DJ, Davy SK. Symbiont Identity Impacts the Microbiome and Volatilome of a Model Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1014. [PMID: 37508443 PMCID: PMC10376011 DOI: 10.3390/biology12071014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The symbiosis between cnidarians and dinoflagellates underpins the success of reef-building corals in otherwise nutrient-poor habitats. Alterations to symbiotic state can perturb metabolic homeostasis and thus alter the release of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). While BVOCs can play important roles in metabolic regulation and signalling, how the symbiotic state affects BVOC output remains unexplored. We therefore characterised the suite of BVOCs that comprise the volatilome of the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana ('Aiptasia') when aposymbiotic and in symbiosis with either its native dinoflagellate symbiont Breviolum minutum or the non-native symbiont Durusdinium trenchii. In parallel, the bacterial community structure in these different symbiotic states was fully characterised to resolve the holobiont microbiome. Based on rRNA analyses, 147 unique amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were observed across symbiotic states. Furthermore, the microbiomes were distinct across the different symbiotic states: bacteria in the family Vibrionaceae were the most abundant in aposymbiotic anemones; those in the family Crocinitomicaceae were the most abundant in anemones symbiotic with D. trenchii; and anemones symbiotic with B. minutum had the highest proportion of low-abundance ASVs. Across these different holobionts, 142 BVOCs were detected and classified into 17 groups based on their chemical structure, with BVOCs containing multiple functional groups being the most abundant. Isoprene was detected in higher abundance when anemones hosted their native symbiont, and dimethyl sulphide was detected in higher abundance in the volatilome of both Aiptasia-Symbiodiniaceae combinations relative to aposymbiotic anemones. The volatilomes of aposymbiotic anemones and anemones symbiotic with B. minutum were distinct, while the volatilome of anemones symbiotic with D. trenchii overlapped both of the others. Collectively, our results are consistent with previous reports that D. trenchii produces a metabolically sub-optimal symbiosis with Aiptasia, and add to our understanding of how symbiotic cnidarians, including corals, may respond to climate change should they acquire novel dinoflagellate partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Wuerz
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Caitlin A Lawson
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Clinton A Oakley
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Malcolm Possell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | | | - Arthur R Grossman
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Virginia M Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - David J Suggett
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
- KAUST Reefscape Restoration Initiative (KRRI) and Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Simon K Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
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17
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Noel B, Denoeud F, Rouan A, Buitrago-López C, Capasso L, Poulain J, Boissin E, Pousse M, Da Silva C, Couloux A, Armstrong E, Carradec Q, Cruaud C, Labadie K, Lê-Hoang J, Tambutté S, Barbe V, Moulin C, Bourdin G, Iwankow G, Romac S, Agostini S, Banaigs B, Boss E, Bowler C, de Vargas C, Douville E, Flores JM, Forcioli D, Furla P, Galand PE, Lombard F, Pesant S, Reynaud S, Sullivan MB, Sunagawa S, Thomas OP, Troublé R, Thurber RV, Allemand D, Planes S, Gilson E, Zoccola D, Wincker P, Voolstra CR, Aury JM. Pervasive tandem duplications and convergent evolution shape coral genomes. Genome Biol 2023; 24:123. [PMID: 37264421 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02960-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the last decade, several coral genomes have been sequenced allowing a better understanding of these symbiotic organisms threatened by climate change. Scleractinian corals are reef builders and are central to coral reef ecosystems, providing habitat to a great diversity of species. RESULTS In the frame of the Tara Pacific expedition, we assemble two coral genomes, Porites lobata and Pocillopora cf. effusa, with vastly improved contiguity that allows us to study the functional organization of these genomes. We annotate their gene catalog and report a relatively higher gene number than that found in other public coral genome sequences, 43,000 and 32,000 genes, respectively. This finding is explained by a high number of tandemly duplicated genes, accounting for almost a third of the predicted genes. We show that these duplicated genes originate from multiple and distinct duplication events throughout the coral lineage. They contribute to the amplification of gene families, mostly related to the immune system and disease resistance, which we suggest to be functionally linked to coral host resilience. CONCLUSIONS At large, we show the importance of duplicated genes to inform the biology of reef-building corals and provide novel avenues to understand and screen for differences in stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Noel
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - France Denoeud
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Alice Rouan
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IRCAN, Nice, France
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
| | | | - Laura Capasso
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Marine Biology Department, Monaco City, 98000, Monaco
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Julie Poulain
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Emilie Boissin
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Cedex, Perpignan, France
| | - Mélanie Pousse
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IRCAN, Nice, France
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
| | - Corinne Da Silva
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Couloux
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Eric Armstrong
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Quentin Carradec
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Cruaud
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
| | - Karine Labadie
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
| | - Julie Lê-Hoang
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Tambutté
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Marine Biology Department, Monaco City, 98000, Monaco
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Clémentine Moulin
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Fondation Tara Océan, Base Tara, 8 Rue de Prague, 75 012, Paris, France
| | | | - Guillaume Iwankow
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Cedex, Perpignan, France
| | - Sarah Romac
- AD2M, UMR 7144, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Station Biologique de Roscoff, ECOMAP, Roscoff, France
| | - Sylvain Agostini
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1, Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Bernard Banaigs
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Cedex, Perpignan, France
| | - Emmanuel Boss
- School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, USA
| | - Chris Bowler
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie de L'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Colomban de Vargas
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- AD2M, UMR 7144, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Station Biologique de Roscoff, ECOMAP, Roscoff, France
| | - Eric Douville
- Laboratoire Des Sciences du Climat Et de L'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-Sur-Yvette, 91191, France
| | - J Michel Flores
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Didier Forcioli
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IRCAN, Nice, France
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
| | - Paola Furla
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IRCAN, Nice, France
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
| | - Pierre E Galand
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
| | - Fabien Lombard
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Institut de La Mer de Villefranche Sur Mer, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, 06230, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, 75231, France
| | - Stéphane Pesant
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Stéphanie Reynaud
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Marine Biology Department, Monaco City, 98000, Monaco
| | - Matthew B Sullivan
- Departments of Microbiology and Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Shinichi Sunagawa
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Olivier P Thomas
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway, University Road H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
| | - Romain Troublé
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Fondation Tara Océan, Base Tara, 8 Rue de Prague, 75 012, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca Vega Thurber
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 220 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Denis Allemand
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Marine Biology Department, Monaco City, 98000, Monaco
| | - Serge Planes
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Cedex, Perpignan, France
| | - Eric Gilson
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IRCAN, Nice, France
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Nice, Nice, France
| | - Didier Zoccola
- LIA ROPSE, Laboratoire International Associé, Université Côte d'Azur - Centre Scientifique de Monaco, France
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Marine Biology Department, Monaco City, 98000, Monaco
| | - Patrick Wincker
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | | | - Jean-Marc Aury
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, 91057, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans GO-SEE, 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France.
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18
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Ashwood LM, Elnahriry KA, Stewart ZK, Shafee T, Naseem MU, Szanto TG, van der Burg CA, Smith HL, Surm JM, Undheim EAB, Madio B, Hamilton BR, Guo S, Wai DCC, Coyne VL, Phillips MJ, Dudley KJ, Hurwood DA, Panyi G, King GF, Pavasovic A, Norton RS, Prentis PJ. Genomic, functional and structural analyses elucidate evolutionary innovation within the sea anemone 8 toxin family. BMC Biol 2023; 21:121. [PMID: 37226201 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01617-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ShK toxin from Stichodactyla helianthus has established the therapeutic potential of sea anemone venom peptides, but many lineage-specific toxin families in Actiniarians remain uncharacterised. One such peptide family, sea anemone 8 (SA8), is present in all five sea anemone superfamilies. We explored the genomic arrangement and evolution of the SA8 gene family in Actinia tenebrosa and Telmatactis stephensoni, characterised the expression patterns of SA8 sequences, and examined the structure and function of SA8 from the venom of T. stephensoni. RESULTS We identified ten SA8-family genes in two clusters and six SA8-family genes in five clusters for T. stephensoni and A. tenebrosa, respectively. Nine SA8 T. stephensoni genes were found in a single cluster, and an SA8 peptide encoded by an inverted SA8 gene from this cluster was recruited to venom. We show that SA8 genes in both species are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and the inverted SA8 gene has a unique tissue distribution. While the functional activity of the SA8 putative toxin encoded by the inverted gene was inconclusive, its tissue localisation is similar to toxins used for predator deterrence. We demonstrate that, although mature SA8 putative toxins have similar cysteine spacing to ShK, SA8 peptides are distinct from ShK peptides based on structure and disulfide connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide the first demonstration that SA8 is a unique gene family in Actiniarians, evolving through a variety of structural changes including tandem and proximal gene duplication and an inversion event that together allowed SA8 to be recruited into the venom of T. stephensoni.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Ashwood
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
- Cancer Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
| | - Khaled A Elnahriry
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Zachary K Stewart
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Thomas Shafee
- Department of Animal Plant & Soil Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
- Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Muhammad Umair Naseem
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Tibor G Szanto
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Chloé A van der Burg
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
| | - Hayden L Smith
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Joachim M Surm
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eivind A B Undheim
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Blindern, PO Box 1066, 0316, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Bruno Madio
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Brett R Hamilton
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Shaodong Guo
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Dorothy C C Wai
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Victoria L Coyne
- Research Infrastructure, Central Analytical Research Facility, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Matthew J Phillips
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Kevin J Dudley
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Research Infrastructure, Central Analytical Research Facility, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - David A Hurwood
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Gyorgy Panyi
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Ana Pavasovic
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Raymond S Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Peter J Prentis
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
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19
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Hu M, Bai Y, Zheng X, Zheng Y. Coral-algal endosymbiosis characterized using RNAi and single-cell RNA-seq. Nat Microbiol 2023:10.1038/s41564-023-01397-9. [PMID: 37217718 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01397-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Corals form an endosymbiotic relationship with the dinoflagellate algae Symbiodiniaceae, but ocean warming can trigger algal loss, coral bleaching and death, and the degradation of ecosystems. Mitigation of coral death requires a mechanistic understanding of coral-algal endosymbiosis. Here we report an RNA interference (RNAi) method and its application to study genes involved in early steps of endosymbiosis in the soft coral Xenia sp. We show that a host endosymbiotic cell marker called LePin (lectin and kazal protease inhibitor domains) is a secreted Xenia lectin that binds to algae to initiate phagocytosis of the algae and coral immune response modulation. The evolutionary conservation of domains in LePin among marine anthozoans performing endosymbiosis suggests a general role in coral-algal recognition. Our work sheds light on the phagocytic machinery and posits a mechanism for symbiosome formation, helping in efforts to understand and preserve coral-algal relationships in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Hu
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yun Bai
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xiaobin Zheng
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yixian Zheng
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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20
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Mohamed AR, Ochsenkühn MA, Kazlak AM, Moustafa A, Amin SA. The coral microbiome: towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coral-microbiota interactions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad005. [PMID: 36882224 PMCID: PMC10045912 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Corals live in a complex, multipartite symbiosis with diverse microbes across kingdoms, some of which are implicated in vital functions, such as those related to resilience against climate change. However, knowledge gaps and technical challenges limit our understanding of the nature and functional significance of complex symbiotic relationships within corals. Here, we provide an overview of the complexity of the coral microbiome focusing on taxonomic diversity and functions of well-studied and cryptic microbes. Mining the coral literature indicate that while corals collectively harbour a third of all marine bacterial phyla, known bacterial symbionts and antagonists of corals represent a minute fraction of this diversity and that these taxa cluster into select genera, suggesting selective evolutionary mechanisms enabled these bacteria to gain a niche within the holobiont. Recent advances in coral microbiome research aimed at leveraging microbiome manipulation to increase coral's fitness to help mitigate heat stress-related mortality are discussed. Then, insights into the potential mechanisms through which microbiota can communicate with and modify host responses are examined by describing known recognition patterns, potential microbially derived coral epigenome effector proteins and coral gene regulation. Finally, the power of omics tools used to study corals are highlighted with emphasis on an integrated host-microbiota multiomics framework to understand the underlying mechanisms during symbiosis and climate change-driven dysbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin R Mohamed
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Michael A Ochsenkühn
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed M Kazlak
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Moustafa
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Department of Biology, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Shady A Amin
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
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21
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Lara A, Simonson BT, Ryan JF, Jegla T. Genome-Scale Analysis Reveals Extensive Diversification of Voltage-Gated K+ Channels in Stem Cnidarians. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:6994550. [PMID: 36669828 PMCID: PMC9989356 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are highly diverse in the cnidarian model organism Nematostella vectensis (Anthozoa), but little is known about the evolutionary origins of this channel diversity and its conservation across Cnidaria. Here, we examined the evolution of voltage-gated K+ channels in Cnidaria by comparing genomes and transcriptomes of diverse cnidarian species from Anthozoa and Medusozoa. We found an average of over 40 voltage-gated K+ channel genes per species, and a phylogenetic reconstruction of the Kv, KCNQ, and Ether-a-go-go (EAG) gene families identified 28 voltage-gated K+ channels present in the last common ancestor of Anthozoa and Medusozoa (23 Kv, 1 KCNQ, and 4 EAG). Thus, much of the diversification of these channels took place in the stem cnidarian lineage prior to the emergence of modern cnidarian classes. In contrast, the stem bilaterian lineage, from which humans evolved, contained no more than nine voltage-gated K+ channels. These results hint at a complexity to electrical signaling in all cnidarians that contrasts with the perceived anatomical simplicity of their neuromuscular systems. These data provide a foundation from which the function of these cnidarian channels can be investigated, which will undoubtedly provide important insights into cnidarian physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adolfo Lara
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St Augustine, Florida, USA
| | - Benjamin T Simonson
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph F Ryan
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St Augustine, Florida, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Timothy Jegla
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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22
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Haydon TD, Matthews JL, Seymour JR, Raina JB, Seymour JE, Chartrand K, Camp EF, Suggett DJ. Metabolomic signatures of corals thriving across extreme reef habitats reveal strategies of heat stress tolerance. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221877. [PMID: 36750192 PMCID: PMC9904954 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic stressors continue to escalate worldwide, driving unprecedented declines in reef environmental conditions and coral health. One approach to better understand how corals can function in the future is to examine coral populations that thrive within present day naturally extreme habitats. We applied untargeted metabolomics (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)) to contrast metabolite profiles of Pocillopora acuta colonies from hot, acidic and deoxygenated mangrove environments versus those from adjacent reefs. Under ambient temperatures, P. acuta predominantly associated with endosymbionts of the genera Cladocopium (reef) or Durusdinium (mangrove), exhibiting elevated metabolism in mangrove through energy-generating and biosynthesis pathways compared to reef populations. Under transient heat stress, P. acuta endosymbiont associations were unchanged. Reef corals bleached and exhibited extensive shifts in symbiont metabolic profiles (whereas host metabolite profiles were unchanged). By contrast, mangrove populations did not bleach and solely the host metabolite profiles were altered, including cellular responses in inter-partner signalling, antioxidant capacity and energy storage. Thus mangrove P. acuta populations resist periodically high-temperature exposure via association with thermally tolerant endosymbionts coupled with host metabolic plasticity. Our findings highlight specific metabolites that may be biomarkers of heat tolerance, providing novel insight into adaptive coral resilience to elevated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trent D. Haydon
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Jennifer L. Matthews
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Justin R. Seymour
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Jean-Baptiste Raina
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Jamie E. Seymour
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Kathryn Chartrand
- Centre for tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Emma F. Camp
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - David J. Suggett
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
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23
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Ashley IA, Kitchen SA, Gorman LM, Grossman AR, Oakley CA, Suggett DJ, Weis VM, Rosset SL, Davy SK. Genomic conservation and putative downstream functionality of the phosphatidylinositol signalling pathway in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1094255. [PMID: 36777026 PMCID: PMC9909359 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1094255] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The mutualistic cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis underpins the evolutionary success of stony corals and the persistence of coral reefs. However, a molecular understanding of the signalling events that lead to the successful establishment and maintenance of this symbiosis remains unresolved. For example, the phosphatidylinositol (PI) signalling pathway has been implicated during the establishment of multiple mutualistic and parasitic interactions across the kingdoms of life, yet its role within the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis remains unexplored. Here, we aimed to confirm the presence and assess the specific enzymatic composition of the PI signalling pathway across cnidaria and dinoflagellates by compiling 21 symbiotic anthozoan (corals and sea anemones) and 28 symbiotic dinoflagellate (Symbiodiniaceae) transcriptomic and genomic datasets and querying genes related to this pathway. Presence or absence of PI-kinase and PI-phosphatase orthologs were also compared between a broad sampling of taxonomically related symbiotic and non-symbiotic species. Across the symbiotic anthozoans analysed, there was a complete and highly conserved PI pathway, analogous to the pathway found in model eukaryotes. The Symbiodiniaceae pathway showed similarities to its sister taxon, the Apicomplexa, with the absence of PI 4-phosphatases. However, conversely to Apicomplexa, there was also an expansion of homologs present in the PI5-phosphatase and PI5-kinase groups, with unique Symbiodiniaceae proteins identified that are unknown from non-symbiotic unicellular organisms. Additionally, we aimed to unravel the putative functionalities of the PI signalling pathway in this symbiosis by analysing phosphoinositide (PIP)-binding proteins. Analysis of phosphoinositide (PIP)-binding proteins showed that, on average, 2.23 and 1.29% of the total assemblies of anthozoan and Symbiodiniaceae, respectively, have the potential to bind to PIPs. Enrichment of Gene Ontology (GO) terms associated with predicted PIP-binding proteins within each taxon revealed a broad range of functions, including compelling links to processes putatively involved in symbiosis regulation. This analysis establishes a baseline for current understanding of the PI pathway across anthozoans and Symbiodiniaceae, and thus a framework to target future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Immy A. Ashley
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Sheila A. Kitchen
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Lucy M. Gorman
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Arthur R. Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, The Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Clinton A. Oakley
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - David J. Suggett
- Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Sabrina L. Rosset
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Simon K. Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand,*Correspondence: Simon K. Davy,
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24
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Mashini AG, Oakley CA, Beepat SS, Peng L, Grossman AR, Weis VM, Davy SK. The Influence of Symbiosis on the Proteome of the Exaiptasia Endosymbiont Breviolum minutum. Microorganisms 2023; 11:292. [PMID: 36838257 PMCID: PMC9967746 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The cellular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of nutrient exchange, immune response, and symbiont population growth in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis are poorly resolved. Here, we employed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to elucidate proteomic changes associated with symbiosis in Breviolum minutum, a native symbiont of the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana ('Aiptasia'). We manipulated nutrients available to the algae in culture and to the holobiont in hospite (i.e., in symbiosis) and then monitored the impacts of our treatments on host-endosymbiont interactions. Both the symbiotic and nutritional states had significant impacts on the B. minutum proteome. B. minutum in hospite showed an increased abundance of proteins involved in phosphoinositol metabolism (e.g., glycerophosphoinositol permease 1 and phosphatidylinositol phosphatase) relative to the free-living alga, potentially reflecting inter-partner signalling that promotes the stability of the symbiosis. Proteins potentially involved in concentrating and fixing inorganic carbon (e.g., carbonic anhydrase, V-type ATPase) and in the assimilation of nitrogen (e.g., glutamine synthase) were more abundant in free-living B. minutum than in hospite, possibly due to host-facilitated access to inorganic carbon and nitrogen limitation by the host when in hospite. Photosystem proteins increased in abundance at high nutrient levels irrespective of the symbiotic state, as did proteins involved in antioxidant defences (e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione s-transferase). Proteins involved in iron metabolism were also affected by the nutritional state, with an increased iron demand and uptake under low nutrient treatments. These results detail the changes in symbiont physiology in response to the host microenvironment and nutrient availability and indicate potential symbiont-driven mechanisms that regulate the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clinton A. Oakley
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Sandeep S. Beepat
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Lifeng Peng
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiscovery, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Arthur R. Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, The Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Simon K. Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
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25
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Assessing the Trophic Impact of Bleaching: The Model Pair Berghia stephanieae/ Exaiptasia diaphana. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13020291. [PMID: 36670832 PMCID: PMC9854479 DOI: 10.3390/ani13020291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bleaching events associated with climate change are increasing worldwide, being a major threat to tropical coral reefs. Nonetheless, the indirect impacts promoted by the bleaching of organisms hosting photosynthetic endosymbionts, such as those impacting trophic interactions, have received considerably less attention by the scientific community. Bleaching significantly affects the nutritional quality of bleached organisms. The consequences promoted by such shifts remain largely overlooked, namely on specialized predators that have evolved to prey upon organisms hosting photosynthetic endosymbionts and benefit nutritionally, either directly or indirectly, from the available pool of photosynthates. In the present study, we advocate the use of the model predator-prey pair featuring the stenophagous nudibranch sea slug Berghia stephanieae that preys upon the photosymbiotic glass anemone Exaiptasia diaphana to study the impacts of bleaching on trophic interactions. These model organisms are already used in other research fields, and one may benefit from knowledge available on their physiology, omics, and culture protocols under controlled laboratory conditions. Moreover, B. stephanieae can thrive on either photosymbiotic or aposymbiotic (bleached) glass anemones, which can be easily maintained over long periods in the laboratory (unlike photosymbiotic corals). As such, one can investigate if and how nutritional shifts induced by bleaching impact highly specialized predators (stenophagous species), as well as if and how such effects cascade over consecutive generations. Overall, by using this model predator-prey pair one can start to truly unravel the trophic effects of bleaching events impacting coral reef communities, as well as their prevalence over time.
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Tursch A, Holstein TW. From injury to patterning—MAPKs and Wnt signaling in Hydra. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 153:381-417. [PMID: 36967201 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydra has a regenerative capacity that is not limited to individual organs but encompasses the entire body. Various global and integrative genome, transcriptome and proteome approaches have shown that many of the signaling pathways and transcription factors present in vertebrates are already present in Cnidaria, the sister group of Bilateria, and are also activated in regeneration. It is now possible to investigate one of the central questions of regeneration biology, i.e., how does the patterning system become activated by the injury signals that initiate regeneration. This review will present the current data obtained in Hydra and draw parallels with regeneration in Bilateria. Important findings of this global analysis are that the Wnt signaling pathway has a dual function in the regeneration process. In the early phase Wnt is activated generically and in a second phase of pattern formation it is activated in a position specific manner. Thus, Wnt signaling is part of the generic injury response, in which mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are initially activated via calcium and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The MAPKs, p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) are essential for Wnt activation in Hydra head and foot regenerates. Furthermore, the antagonism between the ERK signaling pathway and stress-induced MAPKs results in a balanced induction of apoptosis and mitosis. However, the early Wnt genes are activated by MAPK signaling rather than apoptosis. Early Wnt gene activity is differentially integrated with a stable, β-Catenin-based gradient along the primary body axis maintaining axial polarity and activating further Wnts in the regenerating head. Because MAPKs and Wnts are highly evolutionarily conserved, we hypothesize that this mechanism is also present in vertebrates but may be activated to different degrees at the level of early Wnt gene integration.
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27
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Bove CB, Ingersoll MV, Davies SW. Help Me, Symbionts, You're My Only Hope: Approaches to Accelerate our Understanding of Coral Holobiont Interactions. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1756-1769. [PMID: 36099871 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tropical corals construct the three-dimensional framework for one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, providing habitat to a plethora of species across taxa. However, these ecosystem engineers are facing unprecedented challenges, such as increasing disease prevalence and marine heatwaves associated with anthropogenic global change. As a result, major declines in coral cover and health are being observed across the world's oceans, often due to the breakdown of coral-associated symbioses. Here, we review the interactions between the major symbiotic partners of the coral holobiont-the cnidarian host, algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae, and the microbiome-that influence trait variation, including the molecular mechanisms that underlie symbiosis and the resulting physiological benefits of different microbial partnerships. In doing so, we highlight the current framework for the formation and maintenance of cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis, and the role that immunity pathways play in this relationship. We emphasize that understanding these complex interactions is challenging when you consider the vast genetic variation of the cnidarian host and algal symbiont, as well as their highly diverse microbiome, which is also an important player in coral holobiont health. Given the complex interactions between and among symbiotic partners, we propose several research directions and approaches focused on symbiosis model systems and emerging technologies that will broaden our understanding of how these partner interactions may facilitate the prediction of coral holobiont phenotype, especially under rapid environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen B Bove
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Sarah W Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Sheahan K, Zarate D, Chalifour B, Li J. Intraspecific transfer of algal symbionts can occur in photosymbiotic Exaiptasia sea anemones. Symbiosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-022-00891-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Puntin G, Sweet M, Fraune S, Medina M, Sharp K, Weis VM, Ziegler M. Harnessing the Power of Model Organisms To Unravel Microbial Functions in the Coral Holobiont. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0005322. [PMID: 36287022 PMCID: PMC9769930 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00053-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stony corals build the framework of coral reefs, ecosystems of immense ecological and economic importance. The existence of these ecosystems is threatened by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors that manifest in microbial dysbiosis such as coral bleaching and disease, often leading to coral mortality. Despite a significant amount of research, the mechanisms ultimately underlying these destructive phenomena, and what could prevent or mitigate them, remain to be resolved. This is mostly due to practical challenges in experimentation on corals and the highly complex nature of the coral holobiont that also includes bacteria, archaea, protists, and viruses. While the overall importance of these partners is well recognized, their specific contributions to holobiont functioning and their interspecific dynamics remain largely unexplored. Here, we review the potential of adopting model organisms as more tractable systems to address these knowledge gaps. We draw on parallels from the broader biological and biomedical fields to guide the establishment, implementation, and integration of new and emerging model organisms with the aim of addressing the specific needs of coral research. We evaluate the cnidarian models Hydra, Aiptasia, Cassiopea, and Astrangia poculata; review the fast-evolving field of coral tissue and cell cultures; and propose a framework for the establishment of "true" tropical reef-building coral models. Based on this assessment, we also suggest future research to address key aspects limiting our ability to understand and hence improve the response of reef-building corals to future ocean conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Puntin
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Marine Holobiomics Lab, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Fraune
- Institute for Zoology and Organismic Interactions, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mónica Medina
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Koty Sharp
- Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science, Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Marine Holobiomics Lab, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Nawaz K, Cziesielski MJ, Mariappan KG, Cui G, Aranda M. Histone modifications and DNA methylation act cooperatively in regulating symbiosis genes in the sea anemone Aiptasia. BMC Biol 2022; 20:265. [DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01469-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The symbiotic relationship between cnidarians and dinoflagellates is one of the most widespread endosymbiosis in our oceans and provides the ecological basis of coral reef ecosystems. Although many studies have been undertaken to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying these symbioses, we still know little about the epigenetic mechanisms that control the transcriptional responses to symbiosis.
Results
Here, we used the model organism Exaiptasia diaphana to study the genome-wide patterns and putative functions of the histone modifications H3K27ac, H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K36me3, and H3K27me3 in symbiosis. While we find that their functions are generally conserved, we observed that colocalization of more than one modification and or DNA methylation correlated with significantly higher gene expression, suggesting a cooperative action of histone modifications and DNA methylation in promoting gene expression. Analysis of symbiosis genes revealed that activating histone modifications predominantly associated with symbiosis-induced genes involved in glucose metabolism, nitrogen transport, amino acid biosynthesis, and organism growth while symbiosis-suppressed genes were involved in catabolic processes.
Conclusions
Our results provide new insights into the mechanisms of prominent histone modifications and their interaction with DNA methylation in regulating symbiosis in cnidarians.
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Delgado A, Benedict C, Macrander J, Daly M. Never, Ever Make an Enemy… Out of an Anemone: Transcriptomic Comparison of Clownfish Hosting Sea Anemone Venoms. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20120730. [PMID: 36547877 PMCID: PMC9782873 DOI: 10.3390/md20120730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Sea anemones are predatory marine invertebrates and have diverse venom arsenals. Venom is integral to their biology, and is used in competition, defense, and feeding. Three lineages of sea anemones are known to have independently evolved symbiotic relationships with clownfish, however the evolutionary impact of this relationship on the venom composition of the host is still unknown. Here, we investigate the potential of this symbiotic relationship to shape the venom profiles of the sea anemones that host clownfish. We use transcriptomic data to identify differences and similarities in venom profiles of six sea anemone species, representing the three known clades of clownfish-hosting sea anemones. We recovered 1121 transcripts matching verified toxins across all species, and show that hemolytic and hemorrhagic toxins are consistently the most dominant and diverse toxins across all species examined. These results are consistent with the known biology of sea anemones, provide foundational data on venom diversity of these species, and allow for a review of existing hierarchical structures in venomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Delgado
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Charlotte Benedict
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jason Macrander
- Department of Biology, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL 33815, USA
| | - Marymegan Daly
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Xiang N, Rädecker N, Pogoreutz C, Cárdenas A, Meibom A, Wild C, Gärdes A, Voolstra CR. Presence of algal symbionts affects denitrifying bacterial communities in the sea anemone Aiptasia coral model. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:105. [PMID: 37938763 PMCID: PMC9723753 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00190-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The coral-algal symbiosis is maintained by a constant and limited nitrogen availability in the holobiont. Denitrifiers, i.e., prokaryotes reducing nitrate/nitrite to dinitrogen, could contribute to maintaining the nitrogen limitation in the coral holobiont, however the effect of host and algal identity on their community is still unknown. Using the coral model Aiptasia, we quantified and characterized the denitrifier community in a full-factorial design combining two hosts (CC7 and H2) and two strains of algal symbionts of the family Symbiodiniaceae (SSA01 and SSB01). Strikingly, relative abundance of denitrifiers increased by up to 22-fold in photosymbiotic Aiptasia compared to their aposymbiotic (i.e., algal-depleted) counterparts. In line with this, while the denitrifier community in aposymbiotic Aiptasia was largely dominated by diet-associated Halomonas, we observed an increasing relative abundance of an unclassified bacterium in photosymbiotic CC7, and Ketobacter in photosymbiotic H2, respectively. Pronounced changes in denitrifier communities of Aiptasia with Symbiodinium linucheae strain SSA01 aligned with the higher photosynthetic carbon availability of these holobionts compared to Aiptasia with Breviolum minutum strain SSB01. Our results reveal that the presence of algal symbionts increases abundance and alters community structure of denitrifiers in Aiptasia. Thereby, patterns in denitrifier community likely reflect the nutritional status of aposymbiotic vs. symbiotic holobionts. Such a passive regulation of denitrifiers may contribute to maintaining the nitrogen limitation required for the functioning of the cnidarian-algal symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Xiang
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
| | - Nils Rädecker
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Pogoreutz
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anny Cárdenas
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Anders Meibom
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Advanced Surface Analysis (CASA), Institute of Earth Science, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Wild
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Astrid Gärdes
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Hochschule Bremerhaven, Fachbereich 1, An der Karlstadt 8, 27568, Bremerhaven, Germany
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Salazar OR, N. Arun P, Cui G, Bay LK, van Oppen MJH, Webster NS, Aranda M. The coral Acropora loripes genome reveals an alternative pathway for cysteine biosynthesis in animals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq0304. [PMID: 36149959 PMCID: PMC9506716 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq0304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The metabolic capabilities of animals have been derived from well-studied model organisms and are generally considered to be well understood. In animals, cysteine is an important amino acid thought to be exclusively synthesized through the transsulfuration pathway. Corals of the genus Acropora have lost cystathionine β-synthase, a key enzyme of the transsulfuration pathway, and it was proposed that Acropora relies on the symbiosis with dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae for the acquisition of cysteine. Here, we identify the existence of an alternative pathway for cysteine biosynthesis in animals through the analysis of the genome of the coral Acropora loripes. We demonstrate that these coral proteins are functional and synthesize cysteine in vivo, exhibiting previously unrecognized metabolic capabilities of animals. This pathway is also present in most animals but absent in mammals, arthropods, and nematodes, precisely the groups where most of the animal model organisms belong to, highlighting the risks of generalizing findings from model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Octavio R. Salazar
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Prasanna N. Arun
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Guoxin Cui
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, Division of Research and Innovation, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Nicole S. Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Australia
| | - Manuel Aranda
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Shum CW, Nong W, So WL, Li Y, Qu Z, Yip HY, Swale T, Ang PO, Chan KM, Chan TF, Chu KH, Chui AP, Lau KF, Ngai SM, Xu F, Hui JH. Genome of the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida and transcriptome profiles during tentacle regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:900321. [PMID: 36072338 PMCID: PMC9444052 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.900321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cnidarians including sea anemones, corals, hydra, and jellyfishes are a group of animals well known for their regeneration capacity. However, how non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs (also known as miRNAs) contribute to cnidarian tissue regeneration is poorly understood. Here, we sequenced and assembled the genome of the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida collected in Hong Kong waters. The assembled genome size of E. pallida is 229.21 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 10.58 Mb and BUSCO completeness of 91.1%, representing a significantly improved genome assembly of this species. The organization of ANTP-class homeobox genes in this anthozoan further supported the previous findings in jellyfishes, where most of these genes are mainly located on three scaffolds. Tentacles of E. pallida were excised, and both mRNA and miRNA were sequenced at 9 time points (0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, 1 day, 2, 3, 6, and 8 days) from regenerating tentacles. In addition to the Wnt signaling pathway and homeobox genes that are shown to be likely involved in tissue regeneration as in other cnidarians, we have shown that GLWamide neuropeptides, and for the first time sesquiterpenoid pathway genes could potentially be involved in the late phase of cnidarian tissue regeneration. The established sea anemone model will be useful for further investigation of biology and evolution in, and the effect of climate change on this important group of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl W.Y. Shum
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenyan Nong
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wai Lok So
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yiqian Li
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zhe Qu
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ho Yin Yip
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Thomas Swale
- Dovetail Genomics, Scotts Valley, CA, United States
| | - Put O. Ang
- Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - King Ming Chan
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ting Fung Chan
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ka Hou Chu
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Apple P.Y. Chui
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kwok Fai Lau
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sai Ming Ngai
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fei Xu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jerome H.L. Hui
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- *Correspondence: Jerome H.L. Hui,
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Cziesielski MJ, Liew YJ, Cui G, Aranda M. Increased incompatibility of heterologous algal symbionts under thermal stress in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate model Aiptasia. Commun Biol 2022; 5:760. [PMID: 35902758 PMCID: PMC9334593 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03724-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rising ocean temperatures are increasing the rate and intensity of coral mass bleaching events, leading to the collapse of coral reef ecosystems. To better understand the dynamics of coral-algae symbioses, it is critical to decipher the role each partner plays in the holobiont's thermotolerance. Here, we investigated the role of the symbiont by comparing transcriptional heat stress responses of anemones from two thermally distinct locations, Florida (CC7) and Hawaii (H2) as well as a heterologous host-symbiont combination composed of CC7 host anemones inoculated with the symbiont Breviolum minutum (SSB01) from H2 anemones (CC7-B01). We find that oxidative stress and apoptosis responses are strongly influenced by symbiont type, as further confirmed by caspase-3 activation assays, but that the overall response to heat stress is dictated by the compatibility of both partners. Expression of genes essential to symbiosis revealed a shift from a nitrogen- to a carbon-limited state only in the heterologous combination CC7-B01, suggesting a bioenergetic disruption of symbiosis during stress. Our results indicate that symbiosis is highly fine-tuned towards particular partner combinations and that heterologous host-symbiont combinations are metabolically less compatible under stress. These results are essential for future strategies aiming at increasing coral resilience using heterologous thermotolerant symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha J Cziesielski
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Yi Jin Liew
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Guoxin Cui
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Manuel Aranda
- Marine Science Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. .,Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Immunolocalization of Metabolite Transporter Proteins in a Model Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0041222. [PMID: 35678605 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00412-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bidirectional nutrient flow between partners is integral to the cnidarian-dinoflagellate endosymbiosis. However, our current knowledge of the transporter proteins that regulate nutrient and metabolite trafficking is nascent. Four transmembrane transporters that likely play an important role in interpartner nitrogen and carbon exchange were investigated with immunocytochemistry in the model sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana ("Aiptasia"; strain NZ1): ammonium transporter 1 (AMT1), V-type proton ATPase (VHA), facilitated glucose transporter member 8 (GLUT8), and aquaporin-3 (AQP3). Anemones lacking symbionts were compared with those in symbiosis with either their typical, homologous dinoflagellate symbiont, Breviolum minutum, or the heterologous species, Durusdinium trenchii and Symbiodinium microadriaticum. AMT1 and VHA were only detected in symbiotic Aiptasia, irrespective of symbiont type. However, GLUT8 and AQP3 were detected in both symbiotic and aposymbiotic states. All transporters were localized to both the epidermis and gastrodermis, though localization patterns in host tissues were heavily influenced by symbiont identity, with S. microadriaticum-colonized anemones showing the most distinct patterns. These patterns suggested disruption of fixed carbon and inorganic nitrogen fluxes when in symbiosis with heterologous versus homologous symbionts. This study enhances our understanding of nutrient transport and host-symbiont integration, while providing a platform for further investigation of nutrient transporters and the host-symbiont interface in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. IMPORTANCE Coral reefs are in serious decline, in particular due to the thermally induced dysfunction of the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis that underlies their success. Yet our ability to react to this crisis is hindered by limited knowledge of how this symbiosis functions. Indeed, we still have much to learn about the cellular integration that determines whether a particular host-symbiont combination can persist, and hence whether corals might be able to adapt by acquiring new, more thermally resistant symbionts. Here, we employed immunocytochemistry to localize and quantify key nutrient transporters in tissues of the sea anemone Aiptasia, a globally adopted model system for this symbiosis, and compared the expression of these transporters when the host is colonized by native versus nonnative symbionts. We showed a clear link between transporter expression and symbiont identity, elucidating the cellular events that dictate symbiosis success, and we provide a methodological platform for further examination of cellular integration in this ecologically important symbiosis.
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High light quantity suppresses locomotion in symbiotic Aiptasia. Symbiosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-022-00841-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMany cnidarians engage in endosymbioses with microalgae of the family Symbiodiniaceae. In this association, the fitness of the cnidarian host is closely linked to the photosynthetic performance of its microalgal symbionts. Phototaxis may enable semi-sessile cnidarians to optimize the light regime for their microalgal symbionts. Indeed, phototaxis and phototropism have been reported in the photosymbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia. However, the influence of light quantity on the locomotive behavior of Aiptasia remains unknown. Here we show that light quantity and the presence of microalgal symbionts modulate the phototactic behavior in Aiptasia. Although photosymbiotic Aiptasia were observed to move in seemingly random directions along an experimental light gradient, their probability of locomotion depended on light quantity. As photosymbiotic animals were highly mobile in low light but almost immobile at high light quantities, photosymbiotic Aiptasia at low light quantities exhibited an effective net movement towards light levels sufficient for positive net photosynthesis. In contrast, aposymbiotic Aiptasia exhibited greater mobility than their photosymbiotic counterparts, regardless of light quantity. Our results suggest that photosynthetic activity of the microalgal symbionts suppresses locomotion in Aiptasia, likely by supporting a positive energy balance in the host. We propose that motile photosymbiotic organisms can develop phototactic behavior as a consequence of starvation linked to symbiotic nutrient cycling.
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Symbiosis with Dinoflagellates Alters Cnidarian Cell-Cycle Gene Expression. Cell Microbiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/3330160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, hosts show altered expression of genes involved in growth and proliferation when in the symbiotic state, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the host’s altered growth rate. Using tissue-specific transcriptomics, we determined how symbiosis affects expression of cell cycle-associated genes, in the model symbiotic cnidarian Exaiptasia diaphana (Aiptasia). The presence of symbionts within the gastrodermis elicited cell-cycle arrest in the G1 phase in a larger proportion of host cells compared with the aposymbiotic gastrodermis. The symbiotic gastrodermis also showed a reduction in the amount of cells synthesizing their DNA and progressing through mitosis when compared with the aposymbiotic gastrodermis. Host apoptotic inhibitors (Mdm2) were elevated, while host apoptotic sensitizers (c-Myc) were depressed, in the symbiotic gastrodermis when compared with the aposymbiotic gastrodermis and epidermis of symbiotic anemones, respectively. This indicates that the presence of symbionts negatively regulates host apoptosis, possibly contributing to their persistence within the host. Transcripts (ATM/ATR) associated with DNA damage were also downregulated in symbiotic gastrodermal tissues. In epidermal cells, a single gene (Mob1) required for mitotic completion was upregulated in symbiotic compared with aposymbiotic anemones, suggesting that the presence of symbionts in the gastrodermis stimulates host cell division in the epidermis. To further corroborate this hypothesis, we performed microscopic analysis using an S-phase indicator (EdU), allowing us to evaluate cell cycling in host cells. Our results confirmed that there were significantly more proliferating host cells in both the gastrodermis and epidermis in the symbiotic state compared with the aposymbiotic state. Furthermore, when comparing between tissue layers in the presence of symbionts, the epidermis had significantly more proliferating host cells than the symbiont-containing gastrodermis. These results contribute to our understanding of the influence of symbionts on the mechanisms of cnidarian cell proliferation and mechanisms associated with symbiont maintenance.
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Hughes DJ, Raina JB, Nielsen DA, Suggett DJ, Kühl M. Disentangling compartment functions in sessile marine invertebrates. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:740-748. [PMID: 35570130 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sessile invertebrates are frequently sampled and processed whole for downstream analyses. However, their apparent structural simplicity is deceptive as these organisms often harbour discrete compartments. These compartments have physicochemical conditions that differ markedly from neighbouring tissues, and that have likely evolved to support specific functions. Here, we argue that such compartments should be specifically targeted when characterising sessile invertebrate biology and we use the coral gastrovascular cavity to support our argument. This complex compartment displays steep and dynamic chemical gradients, harbours distinct microorganisms, and presumably plays a key role in coral biology. Disentangling the functions played by (and amongst) compartments will likely provide transformative insight into the biology of sessile invertebrates and their future under environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Hughes
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Jean-Baptiste Raina
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Daniel A Nielsen
- University of Technology Sydney, School of Life Sciences, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - David J Suggett
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Michael Kühl
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; Marine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK 3000 Helsingør, Denmark.
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Vuckovic D, Tinoco AI, Ling L, Renicke C, Pringle JR, Mitch WA. Conversion of oxybenzone sunscreen to phototoxic glucoside conjugates by sea anemones and corals. Science 2022; 376:644-648. [PMID: 35511969 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn2600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The reported toxicity of oxybenzone-based sunscreens to corals has raised concerns about the impacts of ecotourist-shed sunscreens on corals already weakened by global stressors. However, oxybenzone's toxicity mechanism(s) are not understood, hampering development of safer sunscreens. We found that oxybenzone caused high mortality of a sea anemone under simulated sunlight including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (290 to 370 nanometers). Although oxybenzone itself protected against UV-induced photo-oxidation, both the anemone and a mushroom coral formed oxybenzone-glucoside conjugates that were strong photo-oxidants. Algal symbionts sequestered these conjugates, and mortality correlated with conjugate concentrations in animal cytoplasm. Higher mortality in anemones that lacked symbionts suggests an enhanced risk from oxybenzone to corals bleached by rising temperatures. Because many commercial sunscreens contain structurally related chemicals, understanding metabolite phototoxicity should facilitate the development of coral-safe products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Djordje Vuckovic
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amanda I Tinoco
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lorraine Ling
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Christian Renicke
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John R Pringle
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William A Mitch
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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41
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Titus BM, Daly M. Population genomics for symbiotic anthozoans: can reduced representation approaches be used for taxa without reference genomes? Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 128:338-351. [PMID: 35418670 PMCID: PMC9076904 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00531-3] [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: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Population genetic studies of symbiotic anthozoans have been historically challenging because their endosymbioses with dinoflagellates have impeded marker development. Genomic approaches like reduced representation sequencing alleviate marker development issues but produce anonymous loci, and without a reference genome, it is unknown which organism is contributing to the observed patterns. Alternative methods such as bait-capture sequencing targeting Ultra-Conserved Elements are now possible but costly. Thus, RADseq remains attractive, but how useful are these methods for symbiotic anthozoan taxa without a reference genome to separate anthozoan from algal sequences? We explore this through a case-study using a double-digest RADseq dataset for the sea anemone Bartholomea annulata. We assembled a holobiont dataset (3854 loci) for 101 individuals, then used a reference genome to create an aposymbiotic dataset (1402 loci). For both datasets, we investigated population structure and used coalescent simulations to estimate demography and population parameters. We demonstrate complete overlap in the spatial patterns of genetic diversity, demographic histories, and population parameter estimates for holobiont and aposymbiotic datasets. We hypothesize that the unique combination of anthozoan biology, diversity of the endosymbionts, and the manner in which assembly programs identify orthologous loci alleviates the need for reference genomes in some circumstances. We explore this hypothesis by assembling an additional 21 datasets using the assembly programs pyRAD and Stacks. We conclude that RADseq methods are more tractable for symbiotic anthozoans without reference genomes than previously realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Titus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, USA.
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Marymegan Daly
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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42
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Holstein TW. The role of cnidarian developmental biology in unraveling axis formation and Wnt signaling. Dev Biol 2022; 487:74-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Dixon G, Matz M. Changes in gene body methylation do not correlate with changes in gene expression in Anthozoa or Hexapoda. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:234. [PMID: 35337260 PMCID: PMC8957121 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08474-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background As human activity alters the planet, there is a pressing need to understand how organisms adapt to environmental change. Of growing interest in this area is the role of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, in tailoring gene expression to fit novel conditions. Here, we reanalyzed nine invertebrate (Anthozoa and Hexapoda) datasets to validate a key prediction of this hypothesis: changes in DNA methylation in response to some condition correlate with changes in gene expression. Results In accord with previous observations, baseline levels of gene body methylation (GBM) positively correlated with transcription, and negatively correlated with transcriptional variation between conditions. Correlations between changes in GBM and transcription, however, were negligible. There was also no consistent negative correlation between methylation and transcription at the level of gene body methylation class (either highly- or lowly-methylated), anticipated under the previously described “seesaw hypothesis”. Conclusion Our results do not support the direct involvement of GBM in regulating dynamic transcriptional responses in invertebrates. If changes in DNA methylation regulate invertebrate transcription, the mechanism must involve additional factors or regulatory influences. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08474-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Groves Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA.
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
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Guo Q, Atkinson SD, Xiao B, Zhai Y, Bartholomew JL, Gu Z. A myxozoan genome reveals mosaic evolution in a parasitic cnidarian. BMC Biol 2022; 20:51. [PMID: 35177085 PMCID: PMC8855578 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01249-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Parasite evolution has been conceptualized as a process of genetic loss and simplification. Contrary to this model, there is evidence of expansion and conservation of gene families related to essential functions of parasitism in some parasite genomes, reminiscent of widespread mosaic evolution—where subregions of a genome have different rates of evolutionary change. We found evidence of mosaic genome evolution in the cnidarian Myxobolus honghuensis, a myxozoan parasite of fish, with extremely simple morphology. Results We compared M. honghuensis with other myxozoans and free-living cnidarians, and determined that it has a relatively larger myxozoan genome (206 Mb), which is less reduced and less compact due to gene retention, large introns, transposon insertion, but not polyploidy. Relative to other metazoans, the M. honghuensis genome is depleted of neural genes and has only the simplest animal immune components. Conversely, it has relatively more genes involved in stress resistance, tissue invasion, energy metabolism, and cellular processes compared to other myxozoans and free-living cnidarians. We postulate that the expansion of these gene families is the result of evolutionary adaptations to endoparasitism. M. honghuensis retains genes found in free-living Cnidaria, including a reduced nervous system, myogenic components, ANTP class Homeobox genes, and components of the Wnt and Hedgehog pathways. Conclusions Our analyses suggest that the M. honghuensis genome evolved as a mosaic of conservative, divergent, depleted, and enhanced genes and pathways. These findings illustrate that myxozoans are not as genetically simple as previously regarded, and the evolution of some myxozoans is driven by both genomic streamlining and expansion. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01249-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxiang Guo
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.,Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Stephen D Atkinson
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Bin Xiao
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.,Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanhua Zhai
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.,Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Jerri L Bartholomew
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Zemao Gu
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China. .,Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.
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45
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Shoguchi E. Gene clusters for biosynthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids in dinoflagellate nuclear genomes: Possible recent horizontal gene transfer between species of Symbiodiniaceae (Dinophyceae). JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2022; 58:1-11. [PMID: 34699617 PMCID: PMC9298759 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Global warming increases the temperature of the ocean surface, which can disrupt dinoflagellate-coral symbioses and result in coral bleaching. Photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae include bleaching-tolerant and bleaching-sensitive coral symbionts. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms for changing symbiont diversity is potentially useful to assist recovery of coral holobionts (corals and their associated microbes, including multiple species of Symbiodiniaceae), although sexual reproduction has not been observed in the Symbiodiniaceae. Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses estimate that the Symbiodiniaceae appeared 160 million years ago and diversified into 15 groups, five genera of which now have available draft genomes (i.e., Symbiodinium, Durusdinium, Breviolum, Fugacium, and Cladocopium). Comparative genomic analyses have suggested that crown groups have fewer gene families than early-diverging groups, although many genes that were probably acquired via gene duplications and horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) have been found in each decoded genome. Because UV stress is likely a contributor to coral bleaching, and because the highly conserved gene cluster for mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) biosynthesis has been found in thermal-tolerant symbiont genomes, I reviewed genomic features of the Symbiodiniaceae, focusing on possible acquisition of a biosynthetic gene cluster for MAAs, which absorb UV radiation. On the basis of highly conserved noncoding sequences, I hypothesized that HGTs have occurred among members of the Symbiodiniaceae and have contributed to the diversification of Symbiodiniaceae-host relationships. Finally, I proposed that bleaching tolerance may be strengthened by multiple MAAs from both symbiotic dinoflagellates and corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiichi Shoguchi
- Marine Genomics UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityOnnaOkinawa904‐0495Japan
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46
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Presnell JS, Wirsching E, Weis VM. Tentacle patterning during Exaiptasia diaphana pedal lacerate development differs between symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12770. [PMID: 35047238 PMCID: PMC8757374 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exaiptasia diaphana, a tropical sea anemone known as Aiptasia, is a tractable model system for studying the cellular, physiological, and ecological characteristics of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Aiptasia is widely used as a proxy for coral-algal symbiosis, since both Aiptasia and corals form a symbiosis with members of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Laboratory strains of Aiptasia can be maintained in both the symbiotic (Sym) and aposymbiotic (Apo, without algae) states. Apo Aiptasia allow for the study of the influence of symbiosis on different biological processes and how different environmental conditions impact symbiosis. A key feature of Aiptasia is the ease of propagating both Sym and Apo individuals in the laboratory through a process called pedal laceration. In this form of asexual reproduction, small pieces of tissue rip away from the pedal disc of a polyp, then these lacerates eventually develop tentacles and grow into new polyps. While pedal laceration has been described in the past, details of how tentacles are formed or how symbiotic and nutritional state influence this process are lacking. Here we describe the stages of development in both Sym and Apo pedal lacerates. Our results show that Apo lacerates develop tentacles earlier than Sym lacerates, while over the course of 20 days, Sym lacerates end up with a greater number of tentacles. We describe both tentacle and mesentery patterning during lacerate development and show that they form through a single pattern in early stages regardless of symbiotic state. In later stages of development, Apo lacerate tentacles and mesenteries progress through a single pattern, while variable patterns were observed in Sym lacerates. We discuss how Aiptasia lacerate mesentery and tentacle patterning differs from oral disc regeneration and how these patterning events compare to postembryonic development in Nematostella vectensis, another widely-used sea anemone model. In addition, we demonstrate that Apo lacerates supplemented with a putative nutrient source developed an intermediate number of tentacles between un-fed Apo and Sym lacerates. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that pedal lacerates progress through two different, putatively nutrient-dependent phases of development. In the early phase, the lacerate, regardless of symbiotic state, preferentially uses or relies on nutrients carried over from the adult polyp. These resources are sufficient for lacerates to develop into a functional polyp. In the late phase of development, continued growth and tentacle formation is supported by nutrients obtained from either symbionts and/or the environment through heterotrophic feeding. Finally, we advocate for the implementation of pedal lacerates as an additional resource in the Aiptasia model system toolkit for studies of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S. Presnell
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America,Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Wirsching
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America,Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
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47
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Guo Q, Whipps CM, Zhai Y, Li D, Gu Z. Quantitative Insights into the Contribution of Nematocysts to the Adaptive Success of Cnidarians Based on Proteomic Analysis. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:91. [PMID: 35053089 PMCID: PMC8773148 DOI: 10.3390/biology11010091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Nematocysts are secretory organelles in cnidarians that play important roles in predation, defense, locomotion, and host invasion. However, the extent to which nematocysts contribute to adaptation and the mechanisms underlying nematocyst evolution are unclear. Here, we investigated the role of the nematocyst in cnidarian evolution based on eight nematocyst proteomes and 110 cnidarian transcriptomes/genomes. We detected extensive species-specific adaptive mutations in nematocyst proteins (NEMs) and evidence for decentralized evolution, in which most evolutionary events involved non-core NEMs, reflecting the rapid diversification of NEMs in cnidarians. Moreover, there was a 33-55 million year macroevolutionary lag between nematocyst evolution and the main phases of cnidarian diversification, suggesting that the nematocyst can act as a driving force in evolution. Quantitative analysis revealed an excess of adaptive changes in NEMs and enrichment for positively selected conserved NEMs. Together, these findings suggest that nematocysts may be key to the adaptive success of cnidarians and provide a reference for quantitative analyses of the roles of phenotypic novelties in adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxiang Guo
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430070, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Christopher M Whipps
- SUNY-ESF, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, 246 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Yanhua Zhai
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430070, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430070, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zemao Gu
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430070, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
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48
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Liu Y, Liao X, Han T, Su A, Guo Z, Lu N, He C, Lu Z. Full-Length Transcriptome Sequencing of the Scleractinian Coral Montipora foliosa Reveals the Gene Expression Profile of Coral-Zooxanthellae Holobiont. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10121274. [PMID: 34943189 PMCID: PMC8698432 DOI: 10.3390/biology10121274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Coral-zooxanthellae holobionts are one of the most productive ecosystems in the ocean. With global warming and ocean acidification, coral ecosystems are facing unprecedented challenges. To save the coral ecosystems, we need to understand the symbiosis of coral-zooxanthellae. Although some Scleractinia (stony corals) transcriptomes have been sequenced, the reliable full-length transcriptome is still lacking due to the short-read length of second-generation sequencing and the uncertainty of the assembly results. Herein, PacBio Sequel II sequencing technology polished with the Illumina RNA-seq platform was used to obtain relatively complete scleractinian coral M. foliosa transcriptome data and to quantify M. foliosa gene expression. A total of 38,365 consensus sequences and 20,751 unique genes were identified. Seven databases were used for the gene function annotation, and 19,972 genes were annotated in at least one database. We found 131 zooxanthellae transcripts and 18,829 M. foliosa transcripts. A total of 6328 lncRNAs, 847 M. foliosa transcription factors (TFs), and 2 zooxanthellae TF were identified. In zooxanthellae we found pathways related to symbiosis, such as photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism. Pathways related to symbiosis in M. foliosa include oxidative phosphorylation and nitrogen metabolism, etc. We summarized the isoforms and expression level of the symbiont recognition genes. Among the membrane proteins, we found three pathways of glycan biosynthesis, which may be involved in the organic matter storage and monosaccharide stabilization in M. foliosa. Our results provide better material for studying coral symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Xin Liao
- Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Beihai 536000, China;
| | - Tingyu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Ao Su
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Zhuojun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Na Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Chunpeng He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
| | - Zuhong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; (Y.L.); (T.H.); (A.S.); (Z.G.); (N.L.)
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49
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Shinzato C, Takeuchi T, Yoshioka Y, Tada I, Kanda M, Broussard C, Iguchi A, Kusakabe M, Marin F, Satoh N, Inoue M. Whole-Genome Sequencing Highlights Conservative Genomic Strategies of a Stress-Tolerant, Long-Lived Scleractinian Coral, Porites australiensis Vaughan, 1918. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6456307. [PMID: 34878117 PMCID: PMC8691061 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab270] [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] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Massive corals of the genus Porites, common, keystone reef builders in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, are distinguished by their relative stress tolerance and longevity. In order to identify genetic bases of these attributes, we sequenced the complete genome of a massive coral, Porites australiensis. We developed a genome assembly and gene models of comparable quality to those of other coral genomes. Proteome analysis identified 60 Porites skeletal matrix protein genes, all of which show significant similarities to genes from other corals and even to those from a sea anemone, which has no skeleton. Nonetheless, 30% of its skeletal matrix proteins were unique to Porites and were not present in the skeletons of other corals. Comparative genomic analyses showed that genes widely conserved among other organisms are selectively expanded in Porites. Specifically, comparisons of transcriptomic responses of P. australiensis and Acropora digitifera, a stress-sensitive coral, reveal significant differences in regard to genes that respond to increased water temperature, and some of the genes expanded exclusively in Porites may account for the different thermal tolerances of these corals. Taken together, widely shared genes may have given rise to unique biological characteristics of Porites, massive skeletons and stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuya Shinzato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takeshi Takeuchi
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Yuki Yoshioka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ipputa Tada
- Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Miyuki Kanda
- DNA Sequencing Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | | | - Akira Iguchi
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Frédéric Marin
- Biogéosciences, Bâtiment des Sciences Gabriel, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Mayuri Inoue
- Division of Earth Science, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Japan
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50
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Mitchell ML, Hossain MA, Lin F, Pinheiro-Junior EL, Peigneur S, Wai DCC, Delaine C, Blyth AJ, Forbes BE, Tytgat J, Wade JD, Norton RS. Identification, Synthesis, Conformation and Activity of an Insulin-like Peptide from a Sea Anemone. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1785. [PMID: 34944429 PMCID: PMC8698791 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of insulin and insulin-like peptides (ILPs) in vertebrate animals is well studied. Numerous ILPs are also found in invertebrates, although there is uncertainty as to the function and role of many of these peptides. We have identified transcripts with similarity to the insulin family in the tentacle transcriptomes of the sea anemone Oulactis sp. (Actiniaria: Actiniidae). The translated transcripts showed that these insulin-like peptides have highly conserved A- and B-chains among individuals of this species, as well as other Anthozoa. An Oulactis sp. ILP sequence (IlO1_i1) was synthesized using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis of the individual chains, followed by regioselective disulfide bond formation of the intra-A and two interchain disulfide bonds. Bioactivity studies of IlO1_i1 were conducted on human insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptors, and on voltage-gated potassium, sodium, and calcium channels. IlO1_i1 did not bind to the insulin or insulin-like growth factor receptors, but showed weak activity against KV1.2, 1.3, 3.1, and 11.1 (hERG) channels, as well as NaV1.4 channels. Further functional studies are required to determine the role of this peptide in the sea anemone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela L. Mitchell
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Sciences Department, Museum Victoria, G.P.O. Box 666, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
- Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum, P.O. Box 3000, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
| | - Mohammed Akhter Hossain
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (M.A.H.); (F.L.); (J.D.W.)
- School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Feng Lin
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (M.A.H.); (F.L.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Ernesto L. Pinheiro-Junior
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven, O&N 2, Herestraat 49, P.O. Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (E.L.P.-J.); (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven, O&N 2, Herestraat 49, P.O. Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (E.L.P.-J.); (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - Dorothy C. C. Wai
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
| | - Carlie Delaine
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia; (C.D.); (A.J.B.); (B.E.F.)
| | - Andrew J. Blyth
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia; (C.D.); (A.J.B.); (B.E.F.)
| | - Briony E. Forbes
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia; (C.D.); (A.J.B.); (B.E.F.)
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven, O&N 2, Herestraat 49, P.O. Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (E.L.P.-J.); (S.P.); (J.T.)
| | - John D. Wade
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (M.A.H.); (F.L.); (J.D.W.)
- School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Raymond S. Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
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