1
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Chille EE, Stephens TG, Misri D, Strand EL, Putnam HM, Bhattacharya D. Gene expression response under thermal stress in two Hawaiian corals is dominated by ploidy and genotype. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70037. [PMID: 39050655 PMCID: PMC11268936 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70037] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcriptome data are frequently used to investigate coral bleaching; however, the factors controlling gene expression in natural populations of these species are poorly understood. We studied two corals, Montipora capitata and Pocillopora acuta, that inhabit the sheltered Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i. M. capitata colonies in the bay are outbreeding diploids, whereas P. acuta is a mixture of clonal diploids and triploids. Populations were sampled from six reefs and subjected to either control (no stress), thermal stress, pH stress, or combined pH and thermal stress treatments. RNA-seq data were generated to test two competing hypotheses: (1) gene expression is largely independent of genotype, reflecting a shared treatment-driven response (TDE) or, (2) genotype dominates gene expression, regardless of treatment (GDE). Our results strongly support the GDE model, even under severe stress. We suggest that post-transcriptional processes (e.g., control of translation, protein turnover) modify the signal from the transcriptome, and may underlie the observed differences in coral bleaching sensitivity via the downstream proteome and metabolome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Chille
- Department of Biochemistry and MicrobiologyRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Timothy G. Stephens
- Department of Biochemistry and MicrobiologyRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Deeksha Misri
- Department of GeneticsRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Emma L. Strand
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Rhode IslandKingstonRhode IslandUSA
- Gloucester Marine Genomics InstituteGloucesterMassachusettsUSA
| | - Hollie M. Putnam
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Rhode IslandKingstonRhode IslandUSA
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2
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MacVittie S, Doroodian S, Alberto A, Sogin M. Microbiome depletion and recovery in the sea anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana, following antibiotic exposure. mSystems 2024; 9:e0134223. [PMID: 38757963 PMCID: PMC11237641 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01342-23] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial species that comprise host-associated microbiomes play an essential role in maintaining and mediating the health of plants and animals. While defining the role of individual or even complex communities is important toward quantifying the effect of the microbiome on host health, it is often challenging to develop causal studies that link microbial populations to changes in host fitness. Here, we investigated the impacts of reduced microbial load following antibiotic exposure on the fitness of the anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana and subsequent recovery of the host's microbiome. Anemones were exposed to two different types of antibiotic solutions for 3 weeks and subsequently held in sterilized seawater for a 3-week recovery period. Our results revealed that both antibiotic treatments reduced the overall microbial load during and up to 1 week post-treatment. The observed reduction in microbial load was coupled with reduced anemone biomass, halted asexual reproduction rates, and for one of the antibiotic treatments, the partial removal of the anemone's algal symbiont. Finally, our amplicon sequencing results of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that anemone bacterial composition only shifted in treated individuals during the recovery phase of the experiment, where we also observed a significant reduction in the overall diversity of the microbial community. Our work implies that the E. diaphana's microbiome contributes to host fitness and that the recovery of the host's microbiome following disturbance with antibiotics leads to a reduced, but stable microbial state.IMPORTANCEExaiptasia diaphana is an emerging model used to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms of coral-algal symbioses. E. diaphana also houses a diverse microbiome, consisting of hundreds of microbial partners with undefined function. Here, we applied antibiotics to quantify the impact of microbiome removal on host fitness as well as define trajectories in microbiome recovery following disturbance. We showed that reduction of the microbiome leads to negative impacts on host fitness, and that the microbiome does not recover to its original composition while held under aseptic conditions. Rather the microbiome becomes less diverse, but more consistent across individuals. Our work is important because it suggests that anemone microbiomes play a role in maintaining host fitness, that they are susceptible to disturbance events, and that it is possible to generate gnotobiotic individuals that can be leveraged in microbiome manipulation studies to investigate the role of individual species on host health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie MacVittie
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Saam Doroodian
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Aaron Alberto
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Maggie Sogin
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
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3
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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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4
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Jiang L, Zhang P, Huang LT, Yu XL, Liu CY, Yuan XC, Liu S, Huang H. Life-stage specificity and temporal variations in transcriptomes and DNA methylomes of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis in response to thermal acclimation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171098. [PMID: 38387572 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the acclimation capacity of reef corals across generations to thermal stress and its underlying molecular underpinnings could provide insights into their resilience and adaptive responses to future climate change. Here, we acclimated adult brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis to high temperature (32 °C vs. 29 °C) for three weeks and analyzed the changes in phenotypes, transcriptomes and DNA methylomes of adult corals and their brooded larvae. Results showed that although adult corals did not show noticeable bleaching after thermal exposure, they released fewer but larger larvae. Interestingly, larval cohorts from two consecutive lunar days exhibited contrasting physiological resistance to thermal stress, as evidenced by the divergent responses of area-normalized symbiont densities and photochemical efficiency to thermal stress. RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed that adult and larval corals mounted distinct transcriptional and DNA methylation changes in response to thermal stress. Remarkably, larval transcriptomes and DNA methylomes also varied greatly among lunar days and thermal treatments, aligning well with their physiological metrics. Overall, our study shows that changes in transcriptomes and DNA methylomes in response to thermal acclimation can be highly life stage-specific. More importantly, thermally-acclimated adult corals could produce larval offspring with temporally contrasting photochemical performance and thermal resilience, and such variations in larval phenotypes are associated with differential transcriptomes and DNA methylomes, and are likely to increase the likelihood of reproductive success and plasticity of larval propagules under thermal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Pan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lin-Tao Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Cheng-Yue Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Xiang-Cheng Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Sheng Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Hui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China.
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5
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Williams A. Multiomics data integration, limitations, and prospects to reveal the metabolic activity of the coral holobiont. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae058. [PMID: 38653719 PMCID: PMC11067971 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Since their radiation in the Middle Triassic period ∼240 million years ago, stony corals have survived past climate fluctuations and five mass extinctions. Their long-term survival underscores the inherent resilience of corals, particularly when considering the nutrient-poor marine environments in which they have thrived. However, coral bleaching has emerged as a global threat to coral survival, requiring rapid advancements in coral research to understand holobiont stress responses and allow for interventions before extensive bleaching occurs. This review encompasses the potential, as well as the limits, of multiomics data applications when applied to the coral holobiont. Synopses for how different omics tools have been applied to date and their current restrictions are discussed, in addition to ways these restrictions may be overcome, such as recruiting new technology to studies, utilizing novel bioinformatics approaches, and generally integrating omics data. Lastly, this review presents considerations for the design of holobiont multiomics studies to support lab-to-field advancements of coral stress marker monitoring systems. Although much of the bleaching mechanism has eluded investigation to date, multiomic studies have already produced key findings regarding the holobiont's stress response, and have the potential to advance the field further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Williams
- Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
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6
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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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7
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Murthy MHS, Jasbi P, Lowe W, Kumar L, Olaosebikan M, Roger L, Yang J, Lewinski N, Daniels N, Cowen L, Klein-Seetharaman J. Insulin signaling and pharmacology in humans and in corals. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16804. [PMID: 38313028 PMCID: PMC10838073 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Once thought to be a unique capability of the Langerhans islets in the pancreas of mammals, insulin (INS) signaling is now recognized as an evolutionarily ancient function going back to prokaryotes. INS is ubiquitously present not only in humans but also in unicellular eukaryotes, fungi, worms, and Drosophila. Remote homologue identification also supports the presence of INS and INS receptor in corals where the availability of glucose is largely dependent on the photosynthetic activity of the symbiotic algae. The cnidarian animal host of corals operates together with a 20,000-sized microbiome, in direct analogy to the human gut microbiome. In humans, aberrant INS signaling is the hallmark of metabolic disease, and is thought to play a major role in aging, and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. We here would like to argue that a broader view of INS beyond its human homeostasis function may help us understand other organisms, and in turn, studying those non-model organisms may enable a novel view of the human INS signaling system. To this end, we here review INS signaling from a new angle, by drawing analogies between humans and corals at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paniz Jasbi
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Whitney Lowe
- Departments of Chemistry & Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Lokender Kumar
- Departments of Chemistry & Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | | | - Liza Roger
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- School of Ocean Futures, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Jinkyu Yang
- Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nastassja Lewinski
- Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Noah Daniels
- Department of Computer Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Lenore Cowen
- Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Judith Klein-Seetharaman
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Departments of Chemistry & Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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8
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Radice VZ, Martinez A, Paytan A, Potts DC, Barshis DJ. Complex dynamics of coral gene expression responses to low pH across species. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17186. [PMID: 37905582 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17186] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Coral capacity to tolerate low pH affects coral community composition and, ultimately, reef ecosystem function. Low pH submarine discharges ('Ojo'; Yucatán, México) represent a natural laboratory to study plasticity and acclimatization to low pH in relation to ocean acidification. A previous >2-year coral transplant experiment to ambient and low pH common garden sites revealed differential survivorship across species and sites, providing a framework to compare mechanistic responses to differential pH exposures. Here, we examined gene expression responses of transplants of three species of reef-building corals (Porites astreoides, Porites porites and Siderastrea siderea) and their algal endosymbiont communities (Symbiodiniaceae) originating from low pH (Ojo) and ambient pH native origins (Lagoon or Reef). Transplant pH environment had the greatest effect on gene expression of Porites astreoides hosts and symbionts and P. porites hosts. Host P. astreoides Ojo natives transplanted to ambient pH showed a similar gene expression profile to Lagoon natives remaining in ambient pH, providing evidence of plasticity in response to ambient pH conditions. Although origin had a larger effect on host S. siderea gene expression due to differences in symbiont genera within Reef and Lagoon/Ojo natives, subtle effects of low pH on all origins demonstrated acclimatization potential. All corals responded to low pH by differentially expressing genes related to pH regulation, ion transport, calcification, cell adhesion and stress/immune response. This study demonstrates that the magnitude of coral gene expression responses to pH varies considerably among populations, species and holobionts, which could differentially affect acclimatization to and impacts of ocean acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Z Radice
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
| | - Ana Martinez
- University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Adina Paytan
- University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Barshis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
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9
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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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10
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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: 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: 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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11
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Gong S, Liang J, Jin X, Xu L, Zhao M, Yu K. Unfolding the secrets of microbiome (Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria) in cold-water coral. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0131523. [PMID: 37729536 PMCID: PMC10580923 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01315-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent deep-ocean exploration has uncovered a variety of cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems around the world ocean, but it remains unclear how microbiome is associated with these corals at a molecular levels. This study utilized metabarcoding, tissue section observation, and metatranscriptomes to investigate the microbiome (Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria) of CWC species (Narella versluysi, Heterogorgia uatumani, and Muriceides sp.) from depths ranging from 260 m to 370 m. Warm-water coral (WWC) species (Acropora pruinosa, Pocillopora damicornis, and Galaxea fascicularis) were used as control groups. Results revealed that CWC host diverse bacteria and Symbiodiniaceae cells were observed in endoderm of CWC tissues. Several new candidate bacterial phyla were found in both CWC and WWC, including Coralsanbacteria, Coralqiangbacteria, Coralgsqaceae, Coralgongineae, etc. Both the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metatranscriptomes revealed that Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were abundant bacterial phyla in CWC. At the gene transcription level, the CWC-associated Symbiodiniaceae community showed a low-level transcription of genes involved in photosynthesis, CO2 fixation, glycolysis, citric acid cycle, while bacteria associated with CWC exhibited a high-level transcription of genes for carbon fixation via the Wood-Lijungdahl pathway, short chain fatty acids production, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles. IMPORTANCE This study shed new light on the functions of both Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria in cold-water coral (CWC). The results demonstrated that Symbiodiniaceae can survive and actively transcribe genes in CWC, suggesting a possible symbiotic or parasitic relationship with the host. This study also revealed complete non-photosynthetic CO2 fixation pathway of bacteria in CWC, as well as their roles in short chain fatty acids production and assimilation of host-derived organic nitrogen and sulfur. These findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the carbon, nitrogen sulfur cycles in CWC, which were possibly crucial for CWC survival in in deep-water environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanqiang Gong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jiayuan Liang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xujie Jin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijia Xu
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of PRC, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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12
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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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13
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Dellaert Z, Putnam HM. Reconciling the variability in the biological response of marine invertebrates to climate change. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245834. [PMID: 37655544 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
As climate change increases the rate of environmental change and the frequency and intensity of disturbance events, selective forces intensify. However, given the complicated interplay between plasticity and selection for ecological - and thus evolutionary - outcomes, understanding the proximate signals, molecular mechanisms and the role of environmental history becomes increasingly critical for eco-evolutionary forecasting. To enhance the accuracy of our forecasting, we must characterize environmental signals at a level of resolution that is relevant to the organism, such as the microhabitat it inhabits and its intracellular conditions, while also quantifying the biological responses to these signals in the appropriate cells and tissues. In this Commentary, we provide historical context to some of the long-standing challenges in global change biology that constrain our capacity for eco-evolutionary forecasting using reef-building corals as a focal model. We then describe examples of mismatches between the scales of external signals relative to the sensors and signal transduction cascades that initiate and maintain cellular responses. Studying cellular responses at this scale is crucial because these responses are the basis of acclimation to changing environmental conditions and the potential for environmental 'memory' of prior or historical conditions through molecular mechanisms. To challenge the field, we outline some unresolved questions and suggest approaches to align experimental work with an organism's perception of the environment; these aspects are discussed with respect to human interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Dellaert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Hollie M Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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14
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Melendez-Perez AM, Escobar Niño A, Carrasco-Reinado R, Martin Diaz L, Fernandez-Acero FJ. Proteomic Approach to Anemonia sulcata and Its Symbiont Symbiodinium spp. as New Source of Potential Biotechnological Applications and Climate Change Biomarkers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12798. [PMID: 37628979 PMCID: PMC10454419 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine ecosystems are among the richest in terms of biodiversity, and at present, still remain largely unknown today. In the molecular biology era, several analyses have been conducted to unravel the biological processes in this ecosystem. These systems have provided biotechnological solutions to current problems, including the treatment of diseases, as well as for the development of new biotechnological tools with applications in biomedicine and/or agri-food. In addition, in the context of climate change and global warming, these studies become even more necessary for the development of molecular tools that allow a reliable follow-up of this situation to anticipate alterations and responses of bioindicator species and to create a database to prevent and predict the environmental and climatic changes before the damage is irreversible. Proteomics approaches have revealed their potential use to obtain the set of biological effectors that lead to the real biological station on a specific stage, the proteins. In addition, proteomics-based algorithms have allowed the discovery of proteins with new potential biotechnological applications from proteome data through "applied proteomics". In this project, the first proteome analysis of the sea anemone, Anemonia sulcata, and its symbiont has been developed. These organisms present a wide distribution sea ecosystem. In Spain, it is accepted as a fishing and aquaculture species. Moreover, Anemonia sulcate has a symbiotic relation with autotroph Dinoflagellates, Symbiodinium spp., that allows the study of its relation at the molecular level. For the first characterization of A. sulcata proteome, three independent biological replicates were used, and proteins were extracted and analyzed by LC-MS/MS, allowing the quantification of 325 proteins, 81 from Symbiodinium spp. proteins and 244 from A. sulcata proteins. These proteins were subjected to gene ontology categorization by Cellular Component, Molecular Function and Biological Process. These analyzes have allowed the identification of biomarkers of gene expression as potential powerful emerging diagnostic tools to identify and characterize the molecular drivers of climate change stresses and improve monitoring techniques. In addition, through the application of novel algorithms for the detection of bioactive compounds based on the analysis of molecules of marine origin, the proteome has allowed the identification of proteins with potential applications in the fields of biomedicine and agri-food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Maria Melendez-Perez
- Physical Chemical Department, Institute of Marine Research (INMAR), International Campus of Excellence of the Sea (CEIMAR), Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
- Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Climate Change (ADAPTIA), Faculty of Engineering, University Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 59-65, Colombia
| | - Almudena Escobar Niño
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute for Viticulture and Agri-Food Research (IVAGRO), Faculty of Environmental and Marine Sciences, Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain; (A.E.N.); (R.C.-R.)
| | - Rafael Carrasco-Reinado
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute for Viticulture and Agri-Food Research (IVAGRO), Faculty of Environmental and Marine Sciences, Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain; (A.E.N.); (R.C.-R.)
| | - Laura Martin Diaz
- Physical Chemical Department, Institute of Marine Research (INMAR), International Campus of Excellence of the Sea (CEIMAR), Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
| | - Francisco Javier Fernandez-Acero
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute for Viticulture and Agri-Food Research (IVAGRO), Faculty of Environmental and Marine Sciences, Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain; (A.E.N.); (R.C.-R.)
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15
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Carrión PJA, Desai N, Brennan JJ, Fifer JE, Siggers T, Davies SW, Gilmore TD. Starvation decreases immunity and immune regulatory factor NF-κB in the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Commun Biol 2023; 6:698. [PMID: 37420095 PMCID: PMC10329013 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05084-7] [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: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Lack of proper nutrition has important consequences for the physiology of all organisms, and nutritional status can affect immunity, based on many studies in terrestrial animals. Here we show a positive correlation between nutrition and immunity in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Gene expression profiling of adult anemones shows downregulation of genes involved in nutrient metabolism, cellular respiration, and immunity in starved animals. Starved adult anemones also have reduced protein levels and activity of immunity transcription factor NF-κB. Starved juvenile anemones have increased sensitivity to bacterial infection and also have lower NF-κB protein levels, as compared to fed controls. Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) is used to identify significantly correlated gene networks that were downregulated with starvation. These experiments demonstrate a correlation between nutrition and immunity in an early diverged marine metazoan, and the results have implications for the survival of marine organisms as they encounter changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Niharika Desai
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Joseph J Brennan
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland St, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - James E Fifer
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Trevor Siggers
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Sarah W Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Thomas D Gilmore
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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16
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Nguyen PQ, Huang X, Collins DS, Collins JJ, Lu T. Harnessing synthetic biology to enhance ocean health. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:860-874. [PMID: 36669947 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Ocean health is faltering, its capability for regeneration and renewal being eroded by a steady pulse of anthropomorphic impacts. Plastic waste has infiltrated all ocean biomes, climate change threatens coral reefs with extinction, and eutrophication has unleashed vast algal blooms. In the face of these challenges, synthetic biology approaches may hold untapped solutions to mitigate adverse effects, repair ecosystems, and put us on a path towards sustainable stewardship of our planet. Leveraging synthetic biology tools would enable innovative engineering approaches to augment the natural adaptive capacity of ocean biological systems to cope with the swiftness of human-induced change. Here, we present a framework for developing synthetic biology solutions for the challenges of plastic pollution, coral bleaching, and harmful algal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Q Nguyen
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaoning Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Daniel S Collins
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biology and Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - James J Collins
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Ting Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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17
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Tinoco A, Mitchison-Field L, Bradford J, Renicke C, Perrin D, Bay L, Pringle J, Cleves P. Role of the bicarbonate transporter SLC4γ in stony-coral skeleton formation and evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216144120. [PMID: 37276409 PMCID: PMC10268325 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216144120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems of immense ecological, economic, and aesthetic importance built on the calcium-carbonate-based skeletons of stony corals. The formation of these skeletons is threatened by increasing ocean temperatures and acidification, and a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved may assist efforts to mitigate the effects of such anthropogenic stressors. In this study, we focused on the role of the predicted bicarbonate transporter SLC4γ, which was suggested in previous studies to be a product of gene duplication and to have a role in coral-skeleton formation. Our comparative-genomics study using 30 coral species and 15 outgroups indicates that SLC4γ is present throughout the stony corals, but not in their non-skeleton-forming relatives, and apparently arose by gene duplication at the onset of stony-coral evolution. Our expression studies show that SLC4γ, but not the closely related and apparently ancestral SLC4β, is highly upregulated during coral development coincident with the onset of skeleton deposition. Moreover, we show that juvenile coral polyps carrying CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations in SLC4γ are defective in skeleton formation, with the severity of the defect in individual animals correlated with their frequencies of SLC4γ mutations. Taken together, the results suggest that the evolution of the stony corals involved the neofunctionalization of the newly arisen SLC4γ for a unique role in the provision of concentrated bicarbonate for calcium-carbonate deposition. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of reverse-genetic studies of ecologically important traits in adult corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda I. Tinoco
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD21218
- Applied BioSciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW2109, Australia
| | - Lorna M. Y. Mitchison-Field
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD21218
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Jacob Bradford
- Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD4001, Australia
- School of Computer Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD4001, Australia
| | - Christian Renicke
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Dimitri Perrin
- Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD4001, Australia
- School of Computer Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD4001, Australia
| | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD4810, Australia
| | - John R. Pringle
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Phillip A. Cleves
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD21218
- Applied BioSciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW2109, Australia
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
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18
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Cui G, Konciute MK, Ling L, Esau L, Raina JB, Han B, Salazar OR, Presnell JS, Rädecker N, Zhong H, Menzies J, Cleves PA, Liew YJ, Krediet CJ, Sawiccy V, Cziesielski MJ, Guagliardo P, Bougoure J, Pernice M, Hirt H, Voolstra CR, Weis VM, Pringle JR, Aranda M. Molecular insights into the Darwin paradox of coral reefs from the sea anemone Aiptasia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf7108. [PMID: 36921053 PMCID: PMC10017044 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf7108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic cnidarians such as corals and anemones form highly productive and biodiverse coral reef ecosystems in nutrient-poor ocean environments, a phenomenon known as Darwin's paradox. Resolving this paradox requires elucidating the molecular bases of efficient nutrient distribution and recycling in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Using the sea anemone Aiptasia, we show that during symbiosis, the increased availability of glucose and the presence of the algae jointly induce the coordinated up-regulation and relocalization of glucose and ammonium transporters. These molecular responses are critical to support symbiont functioning and organism-wide nitrogen assimilation through glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase-mediated amino acid biosynthesis. Our results reveal crucial aspects of the molecular mechanisms underlying nitrogen conservation and recycling in these organisms that allow them to thrive in the nitrogen-poor ocean environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoxin Cui
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Migle K. Konciute
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lorraine Ling
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Luke Esau
- Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jean-Baptiste Raina
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Baoda Han
- DARWIN21, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Octavio R. Salazar
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jason S. Presnell
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Nils Rädecker
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Huawen Zhong
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jessica Menzies
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Phillip A. Cleves
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Yi Jin Liew
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Cory J. Krediet
- Department of Marine Science, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL 33711, USA
| | - Val Sawiccy
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Maha J. Cziesielski
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Paul Guagliardo
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jeremy Bougoure
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Heribert Hirt
- DARWIN21, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Christian R. Voolstra
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - John R. Pringle
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Manuel Aranda
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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19
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Jiang L, Liu CY, Cui G, Huang LT, Yu XL, Sun YF, Tong HY, Zhou GW, Yuan XC, Hu YS, Zhou WL, Aranda M, Qian PY, Huang H. Rapid shifts in thermal reaction norms and tolerance of brooded coral larvae following parental heat acclimation. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:1098-1116. [PMID: 36528869 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16826] [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: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Thermal priming of reef corals can enhance their heat tolerance; however, the legacy effects of heat stress during parental brooding on larval resilience remain understudied. This study investigated whether preconditioning adult coral Pocillopora damicornis to high temperatures (29°C and 32°C) could better prepare their larvae for heat stress. Results showed that heat-acclimated adults brooded larvae with reduced symbiont density and shifted thermal performance curves. Reciprocal transplant experiments demonstrated higher bleaching resistance and better photosynthetic and autotrophic performance in heat-exposed larvae from acclimated adults compared to unacclimated adults. RNA-seq revealed strong cellular stress responses in larvae from heat-acclimated adults that could have been effective in rescuing host cells from stress, as evidenced by the widespread upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle and mitosis. For symbionts, a molecular coordination between light harvesting, photoprotection and carbon fixation was detected in larvae from heat-acclimated adults, which may help optimize photosynthetic activity and yield under high temperature. Furthermore, heat acclimation led to opposing regulations of symbiont catabolic and anabolic pathways and favoured nutrient translocation to the host and thus a functional symbiosis. Notwithstanding, the improved heat tolerance was paralleled by reduced light-enhanced dark respiration, indicating metabolic depression for energy saving. Our findings suggest that adult heat acclimation can rapidly shift thermal tolerance of brooded coral larvae and provide integrated physiological and molecular evidence for this adaptive plasticity, which could increase climate resilience. However, the metabolic depression may be maladaptive for long-term organismal performance, highlighting the importance of curbing carbon emissions to better protect corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch (HKB) of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong, China
| | - Cheng-Yue Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch (HKB) of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong, China
| | - Guoxin Cui
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lin-Tao Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya, China.,Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya, China.,Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - You-Fang Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch (HKB) of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong, China
| | - Hao-Ya Tong
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch (HKB) of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong, China
| | - Guo-Wei Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya, China.,Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Xiang-Cheng Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya, China.,Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Yi-Si Hu
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Liang Zhou
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Manuel Aranda
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pei-Yuan Qian
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch (HKB) of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong, China
| | - Hui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya, China.,Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
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20
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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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21
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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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22
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Kitchen SA, Jiang D, Harii S, Satoh N, Weis VM, Shinzato C. Coral larvae suppress heat stress response during the onset of symbiosis decreasing their odds of survival. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5813-5830. [PMID: 36168983 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The endosymbiosis between most corals and their photosynthetic dinoflagellate partners begins early in the host life history, when corals are larvae or juvenile polyps. The capacity of coral larvae to buffer climate-induced stress while in the process of symbiont acquisition could come with physiological trade-offs that alter behaviour, development, settlement and survivorship. Here we examined the joint effects of thermal stress and symbiosis onset on colonization dynamics, survival, metamorphosis and host gene expression of Acropora digitifera larvae. We found that thermal stress decreased symbiont colonization of hosts by 50% and symbiont density by 98.5% over 2 weeks. Temperature and colonization also influenced larval survival and metamorphosis in an additive manner, where colonized larvae fared worse or prematurely metamorphosed more often than noncolonized larvae under thermal stress. Transcriptomic responses to colonization and thermal stress treatments were largely independent, while the interaction of these treatments revealed contrasting expression profiles of genes that function in the stress response, immunity, inflammation and cell cycle regulation. The combined treatment either cancelled or lowered the magnitude of expression of heat-stress responsive genes in the presence of symbionts, revealing a physiological cost to acquiring symbionts at the larval stage with elevated temperatures. In addition, host immune suppression, a hallmark of symbiosis onset under ambient temperature, turned to immune activation under heat stress. Thus, by integrating the physical environment and biotic pressures that mediate presettlement event in corals, our results suggest that colonization may hinder larval survival and recruitment under projected climate scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila A Kitchen
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Duo Jiang
- Statistics Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Saki Harii
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Virginia M Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Chuya Shinzato
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
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23
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Jiang L, Sun YF, Zhou GW, Tong HY, Huang LT, Yu XL, Liu CY, Zhang YY, Yuan XC, Qian PY, Huang H. Ocean acidification elicits differential bleaching and gene expression patterns in larval reef coral Pocillopora damicornis under heat stress. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156851. [PMID: 35750167 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The successful dispersal of coral larvae is vital to the population replenishment and reef recovery and resilience. Despite that this critical early stage is susceptible to ocean warming and acidification, little is known about the responses of coral larvae to warming and acidification across different biological scales. This study explored the influences of elevated temperature (29 °C versus 33 °C) and pCO2 (500 μatm versus 1000 μatm) on brooded larvae of Pocillopora damicornis at the organismal, cellular and gene expression levels. Heat stress caused bleaching, depressed light-enhanced dark respiration, photosynthesis and autotrophy, whereas high pCO2 stimulated photosynthesis. Although survival was unaffected, larvae at 33 °C were ten-times more likely to settle than those at 29 °C, suggesting reduced capacity to disperse and differentiate suitable substrate. Remarkably, heat stress induced greater symbiont loss at ambient pCO2 than at high pCO2, while cell-specific pigment concentrations of symbionts at 33 °C increased twofold under ambient pCO2 relative to high pCO2, suggesting pCO2-dependent bleaching patterns. Considerable increases in activities of host antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) at 33 °C indicated oxidative stress, whereas lipid peroxidation and caspase activities were contained, thereby restraining larval mortality at 33 °C. Furthermore, the coral host mounted stronger transcriptional responses than symbionts. High pCO2 stimulated host metabolic pathways, possibly because of the boosted algal productivity. In contrast, host metabolic processes and symbiont photosystem genes were downregulated at 33 °C. Interestingly, the upregulation of extracellular matrix genes and glycosaminoglycan degradation pathway at 33 °C was more evident under ambient pCO2 than high pCO2, suggesting compromised host tissue integrity that could have facilitated symbiont expulsion and bleaching. Our results provide insights into how coral larvae respond to warming and acidification at different levels of biological organization, and demonstrate that ocean acidification can mediate thermal bleaching and gene expression in coral larvae under heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - You-Fang Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Guo-Wei Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Hao-Ya Tong
- Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Lin-Tao Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Cheng-Yue Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Yu-Yang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Xiang-Cheng Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Pei-Yuan Qian
- Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Hui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Oceanology, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China.
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24
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Grabb KC, Pardis WA, Kapit J, Wankel SD, Hayden EB, Hansel CM. Design Optimization of a Submersible Chemiluminescent Sensor (DISCO) for Improved Quantification of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Surface Waters. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:6683. [PMID: 36081142 PMCID: PMC9460491 DOI: 10.3390/s22176683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key drivers of biogeochemical cycling while also exhibiting both positive and negative effects on marine ecosystem health. However, quantification of the ROS superoxide (O2-) within environmental systems is hindered by its short half-life. Recently, the development of the diver-operated submersible chemiluminescent sensor (DISCO), a submersible, handheld instrument, enabled in situ superoxide measurements in real time within shallow coral reef ecosystems. Here, we present a redesigned and improved instrument, DISCO II. Similar to the previous DISCO, DISCO II is a self-contained, submersible sensor, deployable to 30 m depth and capable of measuring reactive intermediate species in real time. DISCO II is smaller, lighter, lower cost, and more robust than its predecessor. Laboratory validation of DISCO II demonstrated an average limit of detection in natural seawater of 133.1 pM and a percent variance of 0.7%, with stable photo multiplier tube (PMT) counts, internal temperature, and flow rates. DISCO II can also be optimized for diverse environmental conditions by adjustment of the PMT supply voltage and integration time. Field tests showed no drift in the data with a percent variance of 3.0%. Wand tip adaptations allow for in situ calibrations and decay rates of superoxide using a chemical source of superoxide (SOTS-1). Overall, DISCO II is a versatile, user-friendly sensor that enables measurements in diverse environments, thereby improving our understanding of the cycling of reactive intermediates, such as ROS, across various marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalina C. Grabb
- MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - William A. Pardis
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Jason Kapit
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Scott D. Wankel
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Eric B. Hayden
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Colleen M. Hansel
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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25
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Ip JCH, Zhang Y, Xie JY, Yeung YH, Qiu JW. Comparative transcriptomics of two coral holobionts collected during the 2017 El Niño heat wave reveal differential stress response mechanisms. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 182:114017. [PMID: 35963227 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although coral species exhibit differential susceptibility to stressors, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here we compared scleractinian corals Montipora peltiformis and Platygyra carnosa collected during the 2017 El Niño heat wave. Zooxanthellae density and chlorophyll a content declined and increased substantially during and after heat stress event, respective. However, the magnitude of change was larger in M. peltiformis. Transcriptome analysis showed that heat-stressed corals corresponded to metabolic depression and catabolism of amino acids in both hosts which might promote their survival. However, only M. peltiformis has developed the bleached coral phenotype with corresponding strong stress- and immune-related responses in the host and symbiont, and strong suppression of photosynthesis-related genes in the symbiont. Overall, our study reveals differences among species in the homeostatic capacity to prevent the development of the bleached phenotype under environmental stressors, eventually determining their likelihood of survival in the warming ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Chi-Ho Ip
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yanjie Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
| | - James Y Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yip Hung Yeung
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, China.
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26
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Adaptive Responses of the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa to the Interaction of Acidification and Global Warming. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12172259. [PMID: 36077978 PMCID: PMC9454579 DOI: 10.3390/ani12172259] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification and warming are two of the most important threats to the existence of marine organisms and are predicted to co-occur in oceans. The present work evaluated the effects of acidification (AC: 24 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2), warming (WC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 450 μatm CO2), and their combination (CC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2) on the sea anemone, Heteractis crispa, from the aspects of photosynthetic apparatus (maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PS II), chlorophyll level, and Symbiodiniaceae density) and sterol metabolism (cholesterol content and total sterol content). In a 15-day experiment, acidification alone had no apparent effect on the photosynthetic apparatus, but did affect sterol levels. Upregulation of their chlorophyll level is an important strategy for symbionts to adapt to high partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). However, after warming stress, the benefits of high pCO2 had little effect on stress tolerance in H. crispa. Indeed, thermal stress was the dominant driver of the deteriorating health of H. crispa. Cholesterol and total sterol contents were significantly affected by all three stress conditions, although there was no significant change in the AC group on day 3. Thus, cholesterol or sterol levels could be used as important indicators to evaluate the impact of climate change on cnidarians. Our findings suggest that H. crispa might be relatively insensitive to the impact of ocean acidification, whereas increased temperature in the future ocean might impair viability of H. crispa.
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27
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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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28
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Woo S, Yum S. Transcriptional response of the azooxanthellate octocoral Scleronephthya gracillimum to seawater acidification and thermal stress. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2022; 42:100978. [PMID: 35259638 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2022.100978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The stress responses to increased seawater temperature and marine acidification were investigated using a microarray to reveal transcriptional changes in S. gracillimum. For the study, corals were exposed to different stress experiments; high temperature only (26 °C, 28 °C and 30 °C), low-pH only (pH 7.5, pH 7.0 and pH 6.5) and dual stress experiments (28 °C + pH 7.8, 28 °C + pH 7.5 and 28 °C + pH 7.0), mortality and morphological changes in 24 h exposure experiments were investigated. The survival rates of each experimental group were observed. The gene expression changes in single and dual stress exposed coals were measured and the differentially expressed genes were classified with gene ontology analysis. The top three enriched gene ontology terms of DEGs in response to dual stress were metal ion binding (23.4%), extracellular region (17.2%), and calcium ion binding (12.8%). The gene showing the greatest increase in expression as a response to the dual stress was hemagglutinin/amebocyte aggregation factor, followed by interferon-inducible GTPase 5 and the gene showing the greatest decrease as a response to the dual stress was Fas-associating death domain-containing protein, followed by oxidase 2. These results represented the transcriptomic study focused on the stress responses of the temperate asymbiotic soft coral exposed to single and dual stresses. The combined effect of thermal and acidification stress on corals triggered the negative regulation of ion binding and extracellular matrix coding genes and these genes might serve as a basis for research into coral-specific adaptations to stress responses and global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seonock Woo
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, South Korea
| | - Seungshic Yum
- Ecological Risk Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Sciences and Technology, Geoje 53201, South Korea; KIOST School, University of Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, South Korea.
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29
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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: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [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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Thies AB, Quijada-Rodriguez AR, Zhouyao H, Weihrauch D, Tresguerres M. A Rhesus channel in the coral symbiosome membrane suggests a novel mechanism to regulate NH 3 and CO 2 delivery to algal symbionts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm0303. [PMID: 35275725 PMCID: PMC8916725 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Reef-building corals maintain an intracellular photosymbiotic association with dinoflagellate algae. As the algae are hosted inside the symbiosome, all metabolic exchanges must take place across the symbiosome membrane. Using functional studies in Xenopus oocytes, immunolocalization, and confocal Airyscan microscopy, we established that Acropora yongei Rh (ayRhp1) facilitates transmembrane NH3 and CO2 diffusion and that it is present in the symbiosome membrane. Furthermore, ayRhp1 abundance in the symbiosome membrane was highest around midday and lowest around midnight. We conclude that ayRhp1 mediates a symbiosomal NH4+-trapping mechanism that promotes nitrogen delivery to algae during the day-necessary to sustain photosynthesis-and restricts nitrogen delivery at night-to keep algae under nitrogen limitation. The role of ayRhp1-facilitated CO2 diffusion is less clear, but it may have implications for metabolic dysregulation between symbiotic partners and bleaching. This previously unknown mechanism expands our understanding of symbioses at the immediate animal-microbe interface, the symbiosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus B. Thies
- Marine Biology research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Corresponding author. (A.B.T.); (M.T.)
| | | | - Haonan Zhouyao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Dirk Weihrauch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Martin Tresguerres
- Marine Biology research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Corresponding author. (A.B.T.); (M.T.)
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Seong SY, Matzinger P, Land WG. Editorial: DAMPs Across the Tree of Life. Front Immunol 2022; 12:844315. [PMID: 35178047 PMCID: PMC8844022 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.844315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Yong Seong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.,Wide River Institute of Immunology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Polly Matzinger
- Ghost Lab., Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Walter Gottlieb Land
- German Academy for Transplantation Medicine, Munich, Germany.,Molecular ImmunoRheumatology, INSERM UMR_S1109, Laboratory of Excellence Transplantex, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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32
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Zhang Y, Ip JCH, Xie JY, Yeung YH, Sun Y, Qiu JW. Host-symbiont transcriptomic changes during natural bleaching and recovery in the leaf coral Pavona decussata. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150656. [PMID: 34597574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Coral bleaching has become a major threat to coral reefs worldwide, but for most coral species little is known about their resilience to environmental changes. We aimed to understand the gene expressional regulation underlying natural bleaching and recovery in Pavona decussata, a dominant species of scleractinian coral in the northern South China Sea. Analyzing samples collected in 2017 from the field revealed distinct zooxanthellae density, chlorophyll a concentration and transcriptomic signatures corresponding to changes in health conditions of the coral holobiont. In the host, normal-looking tissues of partially bleached colonies were frontloaded with stress responsive genes, as indicated by upregulation of immune defense, response to endoplasmic reticulum, and oxidative stress genes. Bleaching was characterized by upregulation of apoptosis-related genes which could cause a reduction in algal symbionts, and downregulation of genes involved in stress responses and metabolic processes. The transcription factors stat5b and irf1 played key roles in bleaching by regulating immune and apoptosis pathways. Recovery from bleaching was characterized by enrichment of pathways involved in mitosis, DNA replication, and recombination for tissue repairing, as well as restoration of energy and metabolism. In the symbionts, bleaching corresponded to imbalance in photosystems I and II activities which enhanced oxidative stress and limited energy production and nutrient assimilation. Overall, our study revealed distinct gene expressional profiles and regulation in the different phases of the bleaching and recovery process, and provided new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the holobiont's resilience that may determine the species' fate in response to global and regional environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Zhang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jack Chi-Ho Ip
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - James Y Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yip Hung Yeung
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yanan Sun
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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Smith EG, Hazzouri KM, Choi JY, Delaney P, Al-Kharafi M, Howells EJ, Aranda M, Burt JA. Signatures of selection underpinning rapid coral adaptation to the world's warmest reefs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl7287. [PMID: 35020424 PMCID: PMC10954036 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl7287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Coral populations in the world’s warmest reefs, the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG), represent an ideal model system to understand the evolutionary response of coral populations to past and present environmental change and to identify genomic loci that contribute to elevated thermal tolerance. Here, we use population genomics of the brain coral Platygyra daedalea to show that corals in the PAG represent a distinct subpopulation that was established during the Holocene marine transgression, and identify selective sweeps in their genomes associated with thermal adaptation. We demonstrate the presence of positive and disruptive selection and provide evidence for selection of differentially methylated haplotypes. While demographic analyses suggest limited potential for genetic rescue of neighboring Indian Ocean reefs, the presence of putative targets of selection in corals outside of the PAG offers hope that loci associated with thermal tolerance may be present in the standing genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward G. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
- Water Research Center & Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Khaled M. Hazzouri
- Water Research Center & Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Jae Young Choi
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrice Delaney
- Water Research Center & Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Mohammed Al-Kharafi
- Department of Fisheries Resource Development, Public Authority of Agriculture and Fisheries Resources, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Emily J. Howells
- Water Research Center & Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- National Marine Science Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| | - Manuel Aranda
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - John A. Burt
- Water Research Center & Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Innis T, Allen-Waller L, Brown KT, Sparagon W, Carlson C, Kruse E, Huffmyer AS, Nelson CE, Putnam HM, Barott KL. Marine heatwaves depress metabolic activity and impair cellular acid-base homeostasis in reef-building corals regardless of bleaching susceptibility. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2728-2743. [PMID: 33784420 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ocean warming is causing global coral bleaching events to increase in frequency, resulting in widespread coral mortality and disrupting the function of coral reef ecosystems. However, even during mass bleaching events, many corals resist bleaching despite exposure to abnormally high temperatures. While the physiological effects of bleaching have been well documented, the consequences of heat stress for bleaching-resistant individuals are not well understood. In addition, much remains to be learned about how heat stress affects cellular-level processes that may be overlooked at the organismal level, yet are crucial for coral performance in the short term and ecological success over the long term. Here we compared the physiological and cellular responses of bleaching-resistant and bleaching-susceptible corals throughout the 2019 marine heatwave in Hawai'i, a repeat bleaching event that occurred 4 years after the previous regional event. Relative bleaching susceptibility within species was consistent between the two bleaching events, yet corals of both resistant and susceptible phenotypes exhibited pronounced metabolic depression during the heatwave. At the cellular level, bleaching-susceptible corals had lower intracellular pH than bleaching-resistant corals at the peak of bleaching for both symbiont-hosting and symbiont-free cells, indicating greater disruption of acid-base homeostasis in bleaching-susceptible individuals. Notably, cells from both phenotypes were unable to compensate for experimentally induced cellular acidosis, indicating that acid-base regulation was significantly impaired at the cellular level even in bleaching-resistant corals and in cells containing symbionts. Thermal disturbances may thus have substantial ecological consequences, as even small reallocations in energy budgets to maintain homeostasis during stress can negatively affect fitness. These results suggest concern is warranted for corals coping with ocean acidification alongside ocean warming, as the feedback between temperature stress and acid-base regulation may further exacerbate the physiological effects of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teegan Innis
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Kristen T Brown
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | - Wesley Sparagon
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College Program, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | - Elisa Kruse
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ariana S Huffmyer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Craig E Nelson
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College Program, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Hollie M Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Katie L Barott
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Kelley ER, Sleith RS, Matz MV, Wright RM. Gene expression associated with disease resistance and long-term growth in a reef-building coral. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210113. [PMID: 33996131 PMCID: PMC8059587 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Rampant coral disease, exacerbated by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, threatens reefs worldwide, especially in the Caribbean. Physically isolated yet genetically connected reefs such as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) may serve as potential refugia for degraded Caribbean reefs. However, little is known about the mechanisms and trade-offs of pathogen resistance in reef-building corals. Here, we measure pathogen resistance in Montastraea cavernosa from FGBNMS. We identified individual colonies that demonstrated resistance or susceptibility to Vibrio spp. in a controlled laboratory environment. Long-term growth patterns suggest no trade-off between disease resistance and calcification. Predictive (pre-exposure) gene expression highlights subtle differences between resistant and susceptible genets, encouraging future coral disease studies to investigate associations between resistance and replicative age and immune cell populations. Predictive gene expression associated with long-term growth underscores the role of transmembrane proteins involved in cell adhesion and cell-cell interactions, contributing to the growing body of knowledge surrounding genes that influence calcification in reef-building corals. Together these results demonstrate that coral genets from isolated sanctuaries such as FGBNMS can withstand pathogen challenges and potentially aid restoration efforts in degraded reefs. Furthermore, gene expression signatures associated with resistance and long-term growth help inform strategic assessment of coral health parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R. Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Robin S. Sleith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Mikhail V. Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Rachel M. Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Reduced thermal tolerance in a coral carrying CRISPR-induced mutations in the gene for a heat-shock transcription factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:28899-28905. [PMID: 33168726 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1920779117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reef-building corals are keystone species that are threatened by anthropogenic stresses including climate change. To investigate corals' responses to stress and other aspects of their biology, numerous genomic and transcriptomic studies have been performed, generating many hypotheses about the roles of particular genes and molecular pathways. However, it has not generally been possible to test these hypotheses rigorously because of the lack of genetic tools for corals or closely related cnidarians. CRISPR technology seems likely to alleviate this problem. Indeed, we show here that microinjection of single-guide RNA/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes into fertilized eggs of the coral Acropora millepora can produce a sufficiently high frequency of mutations to detect a clear phenotype in the injected generation. Based in part on experiments in a sea-anemone model system, we targeted the gene encoding Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 (HSF1) and obtained larvae in which >90% of the gene copies were mutant. The mutant larvae survived well at 27 °C but died rapidly at 34 °C, a temperature that did not produce detectable mortality over the duration of the experiment in wild-type (WT) larvae or larvae injected with Cas9 alone. We conclude that HSF1 function (presumably its induction of genes in response to heat stress) plays an important protective role in corals. More broadly, we conclude that CRISPR mutagenesis in corals should allow wide-ranging and rigorous tests of gene function in both larval and adult corals.
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