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Pogoreutz C, Ziegler M. Frenemies on the reef? Resolving the coral-Endozoicomonas association. Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:422-434. [PMID: 38216372 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Stony corals are poster child holobionts due to their intimate association with diverse microorganisms from all domains of life. We are only beginning to understand the diverse functions of most of these microbial associates, including potential main contributors to holobiont health and resilience. Among these, bacteria of the elusive genus Endozoicomonas are widely perceived as beneficial symbionts based on their genomic potential and their high prevalence and ubiquitous presence in coral tissues. Simultaneously, evidence of pathogenic and parasitic Endozoicomonas lineages in other marine animals is emerging. Synthesizing the current knowledge on the association of Endozoicomonas with marine holobionts, we challenge the perception of a purely mutualistic coral-Endozoicomonas relationship and propose directions to elucidate its role along the symbiotic spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pogoreutz
- EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France.
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 (IFZ), 35392, Giessen, Germany.
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2
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Chen B, Wei Y, Yu K, Liang Y, Yu X, Liao Z, Qin Z, Xu L, Bao Z. The microbiome dynamics and interaction of endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae and fungi are associated with thermal bleaching susceptibility of coral holobionts. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0193923. [PMID: 38445866 PMCID: PMC11022545 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01939-23] [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: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The thermal bleaching percentage of coral holobionts shows interspecific differences under heat-stress conditions, which are closely related to the coral-associated microbiome. However, the ecological effects of community dynamics and interactions between Symbiodiniaceae and fungi on coral thermal bleaching susceptibility remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the diversity, community structure, functions, and potential interaction of Symbiodiniaceae and fungi among 18 coral species from a high thermal bleaching risk atoll using next-generation sequencing. The results showed that heat-tolerant C3u sub-clade and Durusdinium dominated the Symbiodiniaceae community of corals and that there were no core amplicon sequence variants in the coral-associated fungal community. Fungal richness and the abundance of confirmed functional animal-plant pathogens were significantly positively correlated with the coral thermal bleaching percentage. Fungal indicators, including Didymellaceae, Chaetomiaceae, Schizophyllum, and Colletotrichum, were identified in corals. Each coral species had a complex Symbiodiniaceae-fungi interaction network (SFIN), which was driven by the dominant Symbiodiniaceae sub-clades. The SFINs of coral holobionts with low thermal bleaching susceptibility exhibited low complexity and high betweenness centrality. These results indicate that the extra heat tolerance of coral in Huangyan Island may be linked to the high abundance of heat-tolerant Symbiodiniaceae. Fungal communities have high interspecific flexibility, and the increase of fungal diversity and pathogen abundance was correlated with higher thermal bleaching susceptibility of corals. Moreover, fungal indicators were associated with the degrees of coral thermal bleaching susceptibility, including both high and intermediate levels. The topological properties of SFINs suggest that heat-tolerant coral have limited fungal parasitism and strong microbial network resilience.IMPORTANCEGlobal warming and enhanced marine heatwaves have led to a rapid decline in coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Several studies have focused on the impact of coral-associated microbiomes on thermal bleaching susceptibility in corals; however, the ecological functions and interactions between Symbiodiniaceae and fungi remain unclear. We investigated the microbiome dynamics and potential interactions of Symbiodiniaceae and fungi among 18 coral species in Huangyan Island. Our study found that the Symbiodiniaceae community of corals was mainly composed of heat-tolerant C3u sub-clade and Durusdinium. The increase in fungal diversity and pathogen abundance has close associations with higher coral thermal bleaching susceptibility. We first constructed an interaction network between Symbiodiniaceae and fungi in corals, which indicated that restricting fungal parasitism and strong interaction network resilience would promote heat acclimatization of corals. Accordingly, this study provides insights into the role of microorganisms and their interaction as drivers of interspecific differences in coral thermal bleaching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Yuxin Wei
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanting Liang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiaopeng Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Resource Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhenjun Qin
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lijia Xu
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEE, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zeming Bao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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Wang S, Lu C, Zhang Q, He X, Wang W, Li J, Su H. Microbial community and transcriptional responses to V. coralliilyticus stress in coral Favites halicora and Pocillopora damicornis holobiont. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 196:106394. [PMID: 38340371 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106394] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Variability in coral hosts susceptibility to Vibrio coralliilyticus is well-documented; however, the comprehensive understanding of tolerance of response to pathogen among coral species is lacked. Herein, we investigated the microbial communities and transcriptome dynamics of two corals in response to Vibrio coralliilyticus. Favites halicora displayed greater resistance to Vibrio coralliilyticus challenge than Pocillopora damicornis. Furthermore, the relative abundances of Flavobacteriaceae, Vibrionacea, Rhodobacteraceae, and Roseobacteraceae increased significantly in Favites halicora following pathogen stress, whereas that of Akkermansiaceae increased significantly in Pocillopora damicornis, leading to bacterial community imbalance. In contrast to the previous results, pathogen infection did not have much effect on the community structures of Symbiodiniaceae and fungi, but led to a decrease in the density of Symbiodiniaceae. Transcriptome analysis indicated that Vibrio infection triggered a coral immune response, resulting in higher expression of immune-related genes, which appeared to have higher transcriptional plasticity in Favites halicora than in Pocillopora damicornis. Specifically, the upregulated genes of Favites halicora were predominantly involved in the apoptosis pathway, whereas Pocillopora damicornis were significantly enriched in the nucleotide excision repair and base excision repair pathways. These findings suggest that coral holobionts activate different mechanisms across species in response to pathogens through shifts in microbial communities and transcriptomes, which provides novel insight into assessing the future coral assemblages suffering from disease outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuying Wang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China; School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Chunrong Lu
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Xucong He
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Weihui Wang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Jiani Li
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Hongfei Su
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China.
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Barker T, Bulling M, Thomas V, Sweet M. The Effect of Pollen on Coral Health. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1469. [PMID: 38132295 PMCID: PMC10740922 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Corals are facing a range of threats, including rises in sea surface temperature and ocean acidification. Some now argue that keeping corals ex situ (in aquaria), may be not only important but necessary to prevent local extinction, for example in the Florida Reef Tract. Such collections or are already becoming common place, especially in the Caribbean, and may act as an ark, preserving and growing rare or endangered species in years to come. However, corals housed in aquaria face their own unique set of threats. For example, hobbyists (who have housed corals for decades) have noticed seasonal mortality is commonplace, incidentally following months of peak pollen production. So, could corals suffer from hay fever? If so, what does the future hold? In short, the answer to the first question is simple, and it is no, corals cannot suffer from hay fever, primarily because corals lack an adaptive immune system, which is necessary for the diagnosis of such an allergy. However, the threat from pollen could still be real. In this review, we explore how such seasonal mortality could play out. We explore increases in reactive oxygen species, the role of additional nutrients and how the microbiome of the pollen may introduce disease or cause dysbiosis in the holobiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Triona Barker
- Aquatic Research Facility, Nature-Based Solutions Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
| | - Mark Bulling
- Aquatic Research Facility, Nature-Based Solutions Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
| | - Vincent Thomas
- Coral Spawning Lab, Unit 6 Midas Metro Centre, 193 Garth Road, Morden SM4 4NE, UK
| | - Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Nature-Based Solutions Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
- Coral Spawning Lab, Unit 6 Midas Metro Centre, 193 Garth Road, Morden SM4 4NE, UK
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5
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Pérez-Llano Y, Yarzábal Rodríguez LA, Martínez-Romero E, Dobson ADW, Gunde-Cimerman N, Vasconcelos V, Batista-García RA. From friends to foes: fungi could be emerging marine sponge pathogens under global change scenarios. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1213340. [PMID: 37670990 PMCID: PMC10476623 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1213340] [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: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Global change, experienced in the form of ocean warming and pollution by man-made goods and xenobiotics, is rapidly affecting reef ecosystems and could have devastating consequences for marine ecology. Due to their critical role in regulating marine food webs and trophic connections, sponges are an essential model for studying and forecasting the impact of global change on reef ecosystems. Microbes are regarded as major contributors to the health and survival of sponges in marine environments. While most culture-independent studies on sponge microbiome composition to date have focused on prokaryotic diversity, the importance of fungi in holobiont behavior has been largely overlooked. Studies focusing on the biology of sponge fungi are uncommon. Thus, our current understanding is quite limited regarding the interactions and “crosstalk” between sponges and their associated fungi. Anthropogenic activities and climate change may reveal sponge-associated fungi as novel emerging pathogens. Global change scenarios could trigger the expression of fungal virulence genes and unearth new opportunistic pathogens, posing a risk to the health of sponges and severely damaging reef ecosystems. Although ambitious, this hypothesis has not yet been proven. Here we also postulate as a pioneering hypothesis that manipulating sponge-associated fungal communities may be a new strategy to cope with the threats posed to sponge health by pathogens and pollutants. Additionally, we anticipate that sponge-derived fungi might be used as novel sponge health promoters and beneficial members of the resident sponge microbiome in order to increase the sponge's resistance to opportunistic fungal infections under a scenario of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yordanis Pérez-Llano
- Centro de Investigación en Dinámica Celular, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | - Esperanza Martínez-Romero
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty. University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vitor Vasconcelos
- CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ramón Alberto Batista-García
- Centro de Investigación en Dinámica Celular, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
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Mohamed AR, Ochsenkühn MA, Kazlak AM, Moustafa A, Amin SA. The coral microbiome: towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coral-microbiota interactions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad005. [PMID: 36882224 PMCID: PMC10045912 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Corals live in a complex, multipartite symbiosis with diverse microbes across kingdoms, some of which are implicated in vital functions, such as those related to resilience against climate change. However, knowledge gaps and technical challenges limit our understanding of the nature and functional significance of complex symbiotic relationships within corals. Here, we provide an overview of the complexity of the coral microbiome focusing on taxonomic diversity and functions of well-studied and cryptic microbes. Mining the coral literature indicate that while corals collectively harbour a third of all marine bacterial phyla, known bacterial symbionts and antagonists of corals represent a minute fraction of this diversity and that these taxa cluster into select genera, suggesting selective evolutionary mechanisms enabled these bacteria to gain a niche within the holobiont. Recent advances in coral microbiome research aimed at leveraging microbiome manipulation to increase coral's fitness to help mitigate heat stress-related mortality are discussed. Then, insights into the potential mechanisms through which microbiota can communicate with and modify host responses are examined by describing known recognition patterns, potential microbially derived coral epigenome effector proteins and coral gene regulation. Finally, the power of omics tools used to study corals are highlighted with emphasis on an integrated host-microbiota multiomics framework to understand the underlying mechanisms during symbiosis and climate change-driven dysbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin R Mohamed
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Michael A Ochsenkühn
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed M Kazlak
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Moustafa
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Department of Biology, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Shady A Amin
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
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