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Dilworth J, Million WC, Ruggeri M, Hall ER, Dungan AM, Muller EM, Kenkel CD. Synergistic response to climate stressors in coral is associated with genotypic variation in baseline expression. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232447. [PMID: 38531406 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As environments are rapidly reshaped due to climate change, phenotypic plasticity plays an important role in the ability of organisms to persist and is considered an especially important acclimatization mechanism for long-lived sessile organisms such as reef-building corals. Often, this ability of a single genotype to display multiple phenotypes depending on the environment is modulated by changes in gene expression, which can vary in response to environmental changes via two mechanisms: baseline expression and expression plasticity. We used transcriptome-wide expression profiling of eleven genotypes of common-gardened Acropora cervicornis to explore genotypic variation in the expression response to thermal and acidification stress, both individually and in combination. We show that the combination of these two stressors elicits a synergistic gene expression response, and that both baseline expression and expression plasticity in response to stress show genotypic variation. Additionally, we demonstrate that frontloading of a large module of coexpressed genes is associated with greater retention of algal symbionts under combined stress. These results illustrate that variation in the gene expression response of individuals to climate change stressors can persist even when individuals have shared environmental histories, affecting their performance under future climate change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Ruggeri
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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2
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Tong H, Zhang F, Sun J, McIlroy SE, Zhang W, Wang Y, Huang H, Zhou G, Qian PY. Meta-organism gene expression reveals that the impact of nitrate enrichment on coral larvae is mediated by their associated Symbiodiniaceae and prokaryotic assemblages. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:89. [PMID: 37101227 PMCID: PMC10131396 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01495-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coral meta-organisms consist of the coral, and its associated Symbiodiniaceae (dinoflagellate algae), bacteria, and other microbes. Corals can acquire photosynthates from Symbiodiniaceae, whilst Symbiodiniaceae uses metabolites from corals. Prokaryotic microbes provide Symbiodiniaceae with nutrients and support the resilience of corals as meta-organisms. Eutrophication is a major cause of coral reef degradation; however, its effects on the transcriptomic response of coral meta-organisms remain unclear, particularly for prokaryotic microbes associated with corals in the larval stage. To understand acclimation of the coral meta-organism to elevated nitrate conditions, we analyzed the physiological and transcriptomic responses of Pocillopora damicornis larvae, an ecologically important scleractinian coral, after 5 days of exposure to elevated nitrate levels (5, 10, 20, and 40 µM). RESULTS The major differentially expressed transcripts in coral, Symbiodiniaceae, and prokaryotic microbes included those related to development, stress response, and transport. The development of Symbiodiniaceae was not affected in the 5 and 20 µM groups but was downregulated in the 10 and 40 µM groups. In contrast, prokaryotic microbe development was upregulated in the 10 and 40 µM groups and downregulated in the 5 and 20 µM groups. Meanwhile, coral larval development was less downregulated in the 10 and 40 µM groups than in the 5 and 20 µM groups. In addition, multiple larval, Symbiodiniaceae, and prokaryotic transcripts were significantly correlated with each other. The core transcripts in correlation networks were related to development, nutrient metabolism, and transport. A generalized linear mixed model, using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, demonstrated that the Symbiodiniaceae could both benefit and cost coral larval development. Furthermore, the most significantly correlated prokaryotic transcripts maintained negative correlations with the physiological functions of Symbiodiniaceae. CONCLUSIONS Results suggested that Symbiodiniaceae tended to retain more nutrients under elevated nitrate concentrations, thereby shifting the coral-algal association from mutualism towards parasitism. Prokaryotic microbes provided Symbiodiniaceae with essential nutrients and may control Symbiodiniaceae growth through competition, whereby prokaryotes can also restore coral larval development inhibited by Symbiodiniaceae overgrowth. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoya Tong
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Nansha, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Institute of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research and Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Jin Sun
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Shelby E. McIlroy
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Weipeng Zhang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Institute of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research and Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Guowei Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Institute of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research and Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Pei-Yuan Qian
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Nansha, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
- CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research and Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
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3
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Seiblitz IGL, Vaga CF, Capel KCC, Cairns SD, Stolarski J, Quattrini AM, Kitahara MV. Caryophylliids (Anthozoa, Scleractinia) and mitochondrial gene order: insights from mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenomics. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 175:107565. [PMID: 35787457 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Molecularly, the family Caryophylliidae is polyphyletic and different sets of genetic data converge towards a consensus that a taxonomic review of this family is necessary. Overall, the order of genes in the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) together with DNA sequences have been used to successfully untangle evolutionary relationships in several groups of organisms. Published mitogenomes of two caryophylliid genera (Desmophyllum and Solenosmilia) present a transposition of the gene block containing cob, nad2, and nad6, which is located between nad5 5' exon and trnW, while that of Polycyathus chaishanensis presents the same gene order as the majority of scleractinian corals. In molecular-based evolutionary reconstructions, caryophylliids that have the mitochondrial gene rearrangement were recovered as a monophyletic lineage ("true" caryophylliids), while members of the genus Polycyathus were placed in a different position. In this study, additional mitogenomes of this family were assembled and included in evolutionary reconstructions of Scleractinia in order to improve our understanding on whether the mitogenome gene rearrangement is limited to and, therefore, could be a synapomorphy of the actual members of Caryophylliidae. Specimens of Caryophyllia scobinosa, Premocyathus sp., Heterocyathus sulcatus, and Trochocyathus caryophylloides, as well as Desmophyllum pertusum and Solenosmilia variabilis from the Southwest Atlantic were sequenced using Illumina platforms. Then, mitochondrial genomes were assembled and annotated, and nuclear datasets were recovered in-silico from assembled contigs using a previously published set of baits. Evolutionary reconstructions were performed using mitochondrial and nuclear datasets and based on Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference. Obtained mitogenomes are circular and range between 15,816 and 18,225 bp in size and from 30.76% to 36.63% in GC content. The gene rearrangement is only seen in C. scobinosa, D. pertusum, Premocyathus sp., and S. variabilis, which were recovered as a monophyletic clade in both mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies. On the other hand, the "caryophylliids" with the canonical mitogenome gene order were not recovered within this clade. Differences in features of the skeleton of "true" caryophylliids in comparison to traditional members of the family were observed and offer further support that the gene rearrangement might be seen as a synapomorphy of family Caryophylliidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- I G L Seiblitz
- Centre for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, 11612-109 São Sebastião, Brazil; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - C F Vaga
- Centre for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, 11612-109 São Sebastião, Brazil; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - K C C Capel
- Centre for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, 11612-109 São Sebastião, Brazil; Department of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo, 11070-100 Santos, Brazil
| | - S D Cairns
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560-0163 United States of America
| | - J Stolarski
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-00-818 Warsaw, Poland
| | - A M Quattrini
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560-0163 United States of America
| | - M V Kitahara
- Centre for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, 11612-109 São Sebastião, Brazil; Department of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo, 11070-100 Santos, Brazil.
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4
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Alama-Bermejo G, Meyer E, Atkinson SD, Holzer AS, Wiśniewska MM, Kolísko M, Bartholomew JL. Transcriptome-Wide Comparisons and Virulence Gene Polymorphisms of Host-Associated Genotypes of the Cnidarian Parasite Ceratonova shasta in Salmonids. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1258-1276. [PMID: 32467979 PMCID: PMC7487138 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceratonova shasta is an important myxozoan pathogen affecting the health of salmonid fishes in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Ceratonova shasta exists as a complex of host-specific genotypes, some with low to moderate virulence, and one that causes a profound, lethal infection in susceptible hosts. High throughput sequencing methods are powerful tools for discovering the genetic basis of these host/virulence differences, but deep sequencing of myxozoans has been challenging due to extremely fast molecular evolution of this group, yielding strongly divergent sequences that are difficult to identify, and unavoidable host contamination. We designed and optimized different bioinformatic pipelines to address these challenges. We obtained a unique set of comprehensive, host-free myxozoan RNA-seq data from C. shasta genotypes of varying virulence from different salmonid hosts. Analyses of transcriptome-wide genetic distances and maximum likelihood multigene phylogenies elucidated the evolutionary relationship between lineages and demonstrated the limited resolution of the established Internal Transcribed Spacer marker for C. shasta genotype identification, as this marker fails to differentiate between biologically distinct genotype II lineages from coho salmon and rainbow trout. We further analyzed the data sets based on polymorphisms in two gene groups related to virulence: cell migration and proteolytic enzymes including their inhibitors. The developed single-nucleotide polymorphism-calling pipeline identified polymorphisms between genotypes and demonstrated that variations in both motility and protease genes were associated with different levels of virulence of C. shasta in its salmonid hosts. The prospective use of proteolytic enzymes as promising candidates for targeted interventions against myxozoans in aquaculture is discussed. We developed host-free transcriptomes of a myxozoan model organism from strains that exhibited different degrees of virulence, as a unique source of data that will foster functional gene analyses and serve as a base for the development of potential therapeutics for efficient control of these parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gema Alama-Bermejo
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos Almirante Storni (CIMAS), CCT CONICET - CENPAT, San Antonio Oeste, Argentina
| | - Eli Meyer
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University
| | | | - Astrid S Holzer
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Monika M Wiśniewska
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Kolísko
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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5
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Chan WY, Chung J, Peplow LM, Hoffmann AA, van Oppen MJH. Maternal effects in gene expression of interspecific coral hybrids. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:517-527. [PMID: 33179328 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects have been well documented for offspring morphology and life history traits in plants and terrestrial animals, yet little is known about maternal effects in corals. Further, few studies have explored maternal effects in gene expression. In a previous study, F1 interspecific hybrid and purebred larvae of the coral species Acropora tenuis and Acropora loripes were settled and exposed to ambient or elevated temperature and pCO2 conditions for 7 months. At this stage, the hybrid coral recruits from both ocean conditions exhibited strong maternal effects in several fitness traits. We conducted RNA-sequencing on these corals and showed that gene expression of the hybrid Acropora also exhibited clear maternal effects. Only 40 genes were differentially expressed between hybrids and their maternal progenitor. In contrast, ~2000 differentially expressed genes were observed between hybrids and their paternal progenitors, and between the reciprocal F1 hybrids. These results indicate that maternal effects in coral gene expression can be long-lasting. Unlike findings from most short-term stress experiments in corals, no genes were differentially expressed in the hybrid nor purebred offspring after seven months of exposure to elevated temperature and pCO2 conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing Yan Chan
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jessica Chung
- Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lesa M Peplow
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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6
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Kenkel CD, Mocellin VJL, Bay LK. Global gene expression patterns in Porites white patch syndrome: Disentangling symbiont loss from the thermal stress response in reef-building coral. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3907-3920. [PMID: 32858771 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms resulting in the breakdown of the coral symbiosis once the process of bleaching has been initiated remain unclear. Distinguishing the process of symbiont loss from the thermal stress response may shed light on the cellular and molecular pathways involved in each process. This study examined physiological changes and global gene expression patterns associated with white patch syndrome (WPS) in Porites lobata, which manifests in localized bleaching independent of thermal stress. In addition, a meta-analysis of global gene expression studies in other corals and anemones was used to contrast differential regulation as a result of disease and thermal stress from patterns correlated with symbiotic state. Symbiont density, chlorophyll a content, holobiont productivity, instant calcification rate, and total host protein content were uniformly reduced in WPS relative to healthy tissue. While expression patterns associated with WPS were secondary to fixed effects of source colony, specific functional enrichments combined with a lack of immune regulation suggest that the viral infection putatively giving rise to this condition affects symbiont rather than host cells. Expression in response to WPS also clustered independently of patterns in white syndrome impacted A. hyacinthus, further supporting a distinct aetiology of this syndrome. Expression patterns in WPS-affected tissues were significantly correlated with prior studies that examined short-term thermal stress responses independent of symbiotic state, suggesting that the majority of expression changes reflect a nonspecific stress response. Across studies, the magnitude and direction of expression change among particular functional enrichments suggests unique responses to stressor duration and highlights distinct responses to bleaching in an anemone model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly D Kenkel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Line K Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
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7
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Fuess LE, Butler CC, Brandt ME, Mydlarz LD. Investigating the roles of transforming growth factor-beta in immune response of Orbicella faveolata, a scleractinian coral. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 107:103639. [PMID: 32027869 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2020.103639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic relationships range from parasitic to mutualistic, yet all endosymbionts face similar challenges, including evasion of host immunity. Many symbiotic organisms have evolved similar mechanisms to face these challenges, including manipulation of the host's transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) pathway. Here we investigate the TGFβ pathway in scelaractinian corals which are dependent on symbioses with dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae. Using the Caribbean coral, Orbicella faveolata, we explore the effects of enhancement and inhibition of the TGFβ pathway on host gene expression. Following transcriptomic analyses, we demonstrated limited effects of pathway manipulation in absence of immune stimulation. However, manipulation of the TGFβ pathway significantly affects the subsequent ability of host corals to mount an immune response. Enhancement of the TGFβ pathway eliminates transcriptomic signatures of host coral immune response, while inhibition of the pathway maintains the response. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence of an immunomodulatory role for TGFβ in a scelaractinian coral. These findings suggest variation in TGFβ signaling may have implications in the face of increasing disease prevelance. Our results suggest that the TGFβ pathway can modulate tradeoffs between symbiosis and immunity. Further study of links between symbiosis, TGFβ, and immunity is needed to better understand the ecological implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Fuess
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States.
| | - Caleb C Butler
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States
| | - Marilyn E Brandt
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, United States
| | - Laura D Mydlarz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States
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8
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Ma Q, Bu D, Zhang J, Wu Y, Pei D. The Transcriptome Landscape of Walnut Interspecies Hybrid ( Juglans hindsii × Juglans regia) and Regulation of Cambial Activity in Relation to Grafting. Front Genet 2019; 10:577. [PMID: 31293615 PMCID: PMC6598599 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Walnuts (Juglans, Juglandaceae) are known throughout the world as economically important trees that provide fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals as a food source, and produce high-quality timber. We have amended the purpose section to say "However," the omics resources are limited, which hampered the elucidation of molecular mechanisms resulting in their economically important traits (such as yield, fertility alternation, oil synthesis, and wood formation). To enrich the omics database of walnut, there is great need for analyses of its genomic and transcriptomic characteristics. In this study, we reported for the first time of the transcriptome landscape of six important organs or tissues in walnut interspecies hybrid using next-generation sequencing technology. Over 338 million clean reads were obtained. This yielded 74,072 unigenes with an average length of 782.71 bp. To develop an understanding of gene functions and regulatory pathways, 66,355 of the unigenes were identified as homologs of annotated genes and classified into three general categories with 61 functional subcategories. 2,288 out of 2,549 unmapped unigenes had at least one BLAST hit against the public databases. A total of 1,237 transcription factor-encoding genes (TFs) and 2,297 tissue-specific unigenes were identified. Interestingly, in the new shoot between an adult seedling and a grafted tree, the expression of 9,494 unigenes were significantly different, among which 4,388 were up-regulated and 5,106 were down-regulated. Of these, 195, 177, 232, 75, 114, and 68 unigenes were related to transcription factors, cell wall, defense response, transport, plant hormone biosynthesis, and other cambial activity-related functions, respectively. The obtained sequences and putative functional data constitute a resource for future functional analyses in walnut and other woody plants. These findings will be useful in further studies addressing the molecular mechanisms underlying grafting-related cambial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingguo Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Dechao Bu
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Advanced Computing Research Laboratory, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junpei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Advanced Computing Research Laboratory, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
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Zhang Y, Chen Q, Xie JY, Yeung YH, Xiao B, Liao B, Xu J, Qiu JW. Development of a transcriptomic database for 14 species of scleractinian corals. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:387. [PMID: 31101011 PMCID: PMC6525400 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5744-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scleractinian corals are important reef builders, but around the world they are under the threat of global climate change as well as local stressors. Molecular resources are critical for understanding a species' stress responses and resilience to the changing environment, but such resources are unavailable for most scleractinian corals, especially those distributed in the South China Sea. We therefore aimed to provide transcriptome resources for 14 common species, including a few structure forming species, in the South China Sea. DESCRIPTION We sequenced the transcriptome of 14 species of scleractinian corals using high-throughput RNA-seq and conducted de novo assembly. For each species, we produced 7.4 to 12.0 gigabases of reads, and assembled them into 271 to 762 thousand contigs with a N50 value of 629 to 1427 bp. These contigs included 66 to 114 thousand unigenes with a predicted open reading frame, and 74.3 to 80.5% of the unigenes were functionally annotated. In the azooxanthelate species Tubastraea coccinea, 41.5% of the unigenes had at least a best-hit sequence from corals. In the other thirteen species, 20.2 to 48.9% of the annotated unigenes had best-hit sequences from corals, and 28.3 to 51.6% from symbiotic algae belonging to the family Symbiodinaceae. With these resources, we developed a transcriptome database (CoralTBase) which features online BLAST and keyword search for unigenes/functional terms through a user friendly Internet interface. SHORT CONCLUSION We developed comprehensive transcriptome resources for 14 species of scleractinian corals and constructed a publicly accessible database ( www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk/~db/CoralTBase ). CoralTBase will facilitate not only functional studies using these corals to understand the molecular basis of stress responses and adaptation, but also comparative transcriptomic studies with other species of corals and more distantly related cnidarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Zhang
- HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Virtual University Park, Gaoxin South 4th Road, Shenzhen, 518057, China.,Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.,Present address: Google China, Beijing, 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
| | - Baohua Xiao
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Baoling Liao
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianliang Xu
- Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Virtual University Park, Gaoxin South 4th Road, Shenzhen, 518057, China. .,Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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10
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Ying H, Cooke I, Sprungala S, Wang W, Hayward DC, Tang Y, Huttley G, Ball EE, Forêt S, Miller DJ. Comparative genomics reveals the distinct evolutionary trajectories of the robust and complex coral lineages. Genome Biol 2018; 19:175. [PMID: 30384840 PMCID: PMC6214176 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1552-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the biological and economic significance of scleractinian reef-building corals, the lack of large molecular datasets for a representative range of species limits understanding of many aspects of their biology. Within the Scleractinia, based on molecular evidence, it is generally recognised that there are two major clades, Complexa and Robusta, but the genomic bases of significant differences between them remain unclear. RESULTS Draft genome assemblies and annotations were generated for three coral species: Galaxea fascicularis (Complexa), Fungia sp., and Goniastrea aspera (Robusta). Whilst phylogenetic analyses strongly support a deep split between Complexa and Robusta, synteny analyses reveal a high level of gene order conservation between all corals, but not between corals and sea anemones or between sea anemones. HOX-related gene clusters are, however, well preserved across all of these combinations. Differences between species are apparent in the distribution and numbers of protein domains and an apparent correlation between number of HSP20 proteins and stress tolerance. Uniquely amongst animals, a complete histidine biosynthesis pathway is present in robust corals but not in complex corals or sea anemones. This pathway appears to be ancestral, and its retention in the robust coral lineage has important implications for coral nutrition and symbiosis. CONCLUSIONS The availability of three new coral genomes enabled recognition of a de novo histidine biosynthesis pathway in robust corals which is only the second identified biosynthetic difference between corals. These datasets provide a platform for understanding many aspects of coral biology, particularly the interactions of corals with their endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Ying
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Ira Cooke
- Comparative Genomics Centre, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Susanne Sprungala
- Comparative Genomics Centre, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Weiwen Wang
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - David C. Hayward
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Yurong Tang
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Unit, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Gavin Huttley
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Unit, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Eldon E. Ball
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Sylvain Forêt
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
| | - David J. Miller
- Comparative Genomics Centre, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
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11
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Huang Y, Yuan J, Zhang Y, Peng H, Liu L. Molecular cloning and characterization of calmodulin-like protein CaLP from the Scleractinian coral Galaxea astreata. Cell Stress Chaperones 2018; 23:1329-1335. [PMID: 30105591 PMCID: PMC6237685 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-018-0907-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Optimal temperature and light are both necessary conditions for coral survival. Light enhances calcification, and thermal stress disrupts Ca2+ homeostasis. As calcium is involved in many important metabolic activities, in this study, we cloned the calmodulin-like protein (CaLP) gene of one of the scleractinian corals, Galaxea astreata. We also detected the relative mRNA expression levels of gaCaLP using the calcium channel blocker verapamil and CaCl2 treatment under conditions of light and dark, and compared expression levels under controlled temperature conditions. Full-length gaCaLP cDNA comprised 1290 nucleotides and contained 498 bp open reading frame that encoded a protein with 165 amino acids. With CaCl2, expression levels of gaCaLP only increased in the presence of light, suggesting that light may be a restrictive factor in CaLP expression when sufficient calcium is available in the environment. In addition, after verapami treatment, we noted that a down regulation of gaCaLP, suggesting that the expression of CaLP is closely related to extracellular Ca2+ influx. Under temperature stress at both high (30 °C) and low (20 °C) temperatures, expression levels of gaCaLP showed an initial increase, followed by a decreasing trend as treatment progressed. Expression levels reached their maximum value at 24 h. This result showed that CaLP participated in a temperature stress response, and Ca2+ homeostasis was disrupted during stress. The findings of the present study will help determine the function and regulatory mechanisms of gaCaLP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjia Huang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Jigui Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Yanping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Hiupai Peng
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China.
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12
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Veglia AJ, Hammerman NM, Rivera-Vicéns RE, Schizas NV. De novo transcriptome assembly of the coral Agaricia lamarcki (Lamarck's sheet coral) from mesophotic depth in southwest Puerto Rico. Mar Genomics 2018; 41:6-11. [PMID: 30201306 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The plating coral, Agaricia lamarcki is a widely distributed species inhabiting reefs across the Caribbean basin and Florida. This species is of interest since it is considered a depth-generalist, found from 10 to 70 m. Given the scope of contemporary studies on this coral's population dynamics and physiology, as well as, the potential of mesophotic reefs to be refuge habitats for deteriorated shallow water reefs, we present the first de novo transcriptome assembly of an important mesophotic coral. Using next-generation paired-end sequencing (Illumina Hiseq4000; 2 × 150 bp), we obtained a total of 82,506,058 raw reads. The novel transcriptome assembly strategy included the recently developed National Center for Genome Analysis Support de novo transcriptome assembly pipeline. Assembly produced a total of 101,322 biologically true, non-redundant transcripts with an average contig length of 959 and N50 of 1830. EvidentialGene and TransDecoder were used to identify open reading frames (ORFs) with homology insight provided by the UniProtKb and PFAM databases. ORF prediction resulted in 38,517 putative ORFs of which 12,107 ORFs were annotated as genes dealing with molecular function, 1266 with biological processes and 416 with cellular components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J Veglia
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences, PO Box 9000, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681, USA
| | - Nicholas M Hammerman
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences, PO Box 9000, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681, USA; School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Gehrmann Laboratories, Level 8, Research Road, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ramón E Rivera-Vicéns
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences, PO Box 9000, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681, USA; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nikolaos V Schizas
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences, PO Box 9000, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681, USA.
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13
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Kenkel CD, Bay LK. Novel transcriptome resources for three scleractinian coral species from the Indo-Pacific. Gigascience 2018; 6:1-4. [PMID: 28938722 PMCID: PMC5603760 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/gix074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptomic resources for coral species can provide insight into coral evolutionary history and stress-response physiology. Goniopora columna, Galaxea astreata, and Galaxea acrhelia are scleractinian corals of the Indo-Pacific, representing a diversity of morphologies and life-history traits. G. columna and G. astreata are common and cosmopolitan, while G. acrhelia is largely restricted to the coral triangle and Great Barrier Reef. Reference transcriptomes for these species were assembled from replicate colony fragments exposed to elevated (31°C) and ambient (27°C) temperatures. Trinity was used to create de novo assemblies for each species from 92–102 million raw Illumina Hiseq 2 × 150 bp reads. Host-specific assemblies contained 65 460–72 405 contigs, representing 26 693–37 894 isogroups (∼genes) with an average N50 of 2254. Gene name and/or gene ontology annotations were possible for 58% of isogroups on average. Transcriptomes contained 93.1–94.3% of EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups comprising the core eukaryotic gene set, and 89.98–91.92% of the single-copy metazoan core gene set orthologs were complete, indicating fairly comprehensive assemblies. This work expands the complement of transcriptomic resources available for scleractinian coral species, including the first reference for a representative of Goniopora spp. as well as species with novel morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly D Kenkel
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Line K Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia
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