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Mayfield AB. Multi-macromolecular Extraction from Endosymbiotic Anthozoans. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2625:17-56. [PMID: 36653630 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2966-6_3] [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] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Obligately symbiotic associations between reef-building corals (anthozoan cnidarians) and photosynthetically active dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae comprise the functional basis of all coral reef ecosystems. Given the existential threats of global climate change toward these thermo-sensitive entities, there is an urgent need to better understand the physiological implications of changes in the abiotic milieu of scleractinian corals and their mutualistic algal endosymbionts. Although initially slow to leverage the immense breakthroughs in molecular biotechnology that have benefited humankind, coral biologists are making up for lost time in exploiting an array of ever-advancing molecular tools for answering key questions pertaining to the survival of corals in an ever-changing world. In order to comprehensively characterize the multi-omic landscape of the coral holobiont-the cnidarian host, its intracellular dinoflagellates, and a plethora of other microbial constituents-I introduce a series of protocols herein that yield large quantities of high-quality RNA, DNA, protein, lipids, and polar metabolites from a diverse array of reef corals and endosymbiotic sea anemones. Although numerous published articles in the invertebrate zoology field feature protocols that lead to sufficiently high yield of intact host coral macromolecules, through using the approach outlined herein one may simultaneously acquire a rich, multi-compartmental biochemical pool that truly reflects the complex and dynamic nature of these animal-plant chimeras.
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Yang X, Tong G, Dong L, Yan T, Xu H, Tang G, Zhang Y, Ma K, Yin J, Kuang Y. Evaluation of qPCR reference genes for taimen (Hucho taimen) under heat stress. Sci Rep 2022; 12:313. [PMID: 35013399 PMCID: PMC8748915 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03872-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
As a powerful and attractive method for detecting gene expression, qRT-PCR has been broadly used in aquaculture research. Understanding the biology of taimen (Hucho taimen) has drawn increasing interest because of its ecological and economic value. Stable reference genes are required for the reliable quantification of gene expression, but such genes have not yet been optimized for taimen. In this study, the stability levels of 10 commonly used candidate reference genes were evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. The expression levels of the 10 genes were detected using 240 samples from 48 experimental groups consisting of 40 individuals treated under four heat-stress conditions (18, 20, 22, and 24 °C) for 24 h and 26 °C for 4, 24, 48, and 72 h. Six tissues (blood, heart, brain, gill, skin, and liver) were collected from each individual. Ribosomal protein S29 (RPS29) and ribosomal protein L19 (RPL19) were the most stable genes among all of the samples, whereas 28S ribosomal RNA (28S rRNA), attachment region binding protein (ARBP), and 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) were the least stable. These results were verified by an expression analysis of taimen heat-stress genes (heat shock protein 60, hsp60, and heat shock protein 70, hsp70). In conclusion, RPS29 and RPL19 are the optimal reference genes for qRT-PCR analyses of taimen, irrespective of the tissue and experimental conditions. These results allow the reliable study of gene expression in taimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxing Yang
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China.,College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201303, China
| | - Guangxiang Tong
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Open Laboratory of Cold Water Fish Germplasm Resources and Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Le Dong
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China.,College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201303, China
| | - Ting Yan
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Guopan Tang
- Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou, 450016, China
| | - Yongquan Zhang
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Open Laboratory of Cold Water Fish Germplasm Resources and Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Kai Ma
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Open Laboratory of Cold Water Fish Germplasm Resources and Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Jiasheng Yin
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China.,Key Open Laboratory of Cold Water Fish Germplasm Resources and Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150070, China
| | - Youyi Kuang
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, 150070, China. .,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Biotechnology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin, 150070, China.
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Abstract
Herein we propose an ambitious confrontation of the current coral reef crisis through the establishment of a "Coral Hospital." In an analogous manner to a human hospital, "sick" corals will first be diagnosed either in situ or in the hospital's diagnostic "clinic" such that the root cause of illness can be discerned (e.g., disease, high temperatures, or pollutant stress). Then, corals will be "treated" (when necessary) and allowed to "convalesce" in precisely controlled coral husbandry facilities. Upon "rehabilitation," the recovered corals will be returned to their home reef (if this reef was not found to have degraded), or, alternatively, to a site featuring oceanographic conditions favoring a high level of health, as determined by husbandry experiments performed in other hospital "wards." When possible, diagnostic data from the sick corals (i.e., the underlying cause of sickness) will be used to guide environmental remediation schemes aimed at promoting coral resilience in the ocean. If the home reef improves to an appreciable extent during the time the corals are "hospitalized," these corals could be replanted there upon rehabilitation. Regardless of the site of outplanting, recuperated corals will be monitored over time to validate the "quality of care" in the hospital. In the event that the home reefs suffer to such an extent that environmental mitigation is no longer possible, coral gametes will be collected and cryopreserved such that they may be fertilized, reared in officinarum, and later reseeded once/if global marine conditions again permit coral survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- 1Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Taiwan
| | - Sujune Tsai
- 2Department of Post-Modern Agriculture, Ming-Dao University, Beidou, Taiwan
| | - Chiahsin Lin
- 1Taiwan Coral Research Center, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Taiwan.,3Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Taiwan
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Mayfield AB, Chen YJ, Lu CY, Chen CS. The proteomic response of the reef coral Pocillopora acuta to experimentally elevated temperatures. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192001. [PMID: 29385204 PMCID: PMC5792016 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although most reef-building corals live near the upper threshold of their thermotolerance, some scleractinians are resilient to temperature increases. For instance, Pocillopora acuta specimens from an upwelling habitat in Southern Taiwan survived a nine-month experimental exposure to 30°C, a temperature hypothesized to induce stress. To gain a greater understanding of the molecular pathways underlying such high-temperature acclimation, the protein profiles of experimental controls incubated at 27°C were compared to those of conspecific P. acuta specimens exposed to 30°C for two, four, or eight weeks, and differentially concentrated proteins (DCPs) were removed from the gels and sequenced with mass spectrometry. Sixty unique DCPs were uncovered across both eukaryotic compartments of the P. acuta-dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) mutualism, and Symbiodinium were more responsive to high temperature at the protein-level than the coral hosts in which they resided at the two-week sampling time. Furthermore, proteins involved in the stress response were more likely to be documented at different cellular concentrations across temperature treatments in Symbiodinium, whereas the temperature-sensitive host coral proteome featured numerous proteins involved in cytoskeletal structure, immunity, and metabolism. These proteome-scale data suggest that the coral host and its intracellular dinoflagellates have differing strategies for acclimating to elevated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B. Mayfield
- Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, MD, United States of America
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
| | - Yi-Jyun Chen
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Yu Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Center for Research Resources and Development, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chii-Shiarng Chen
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Marine Biotechnology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
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Mayfield AB, Chen YJ, Lu CY, Chen CS. Exploring the Environmental Physiology of the Indo-Pacific Reef Coral <em>Seriatopora hystrix</em> with Differential Proteomics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.4236/ojms.2018.82012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Mayfield AB, Chen CS, Dempsey AC. Biomarker profiling in reef corals of Tonga's Ha'apai and Vava'u archipelagos. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185857. [PMID: 29091723 PMCID: PMC5665425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the significant threats towards Earth's coral reefs, there is an urgent need to document the current physiological condition of the resident organisms, particularly the reef-building scleractinians themselves. Unfortunately, most of the planet's reefs are understudied, and some have yet to be seen. For instance, the Kingdom of Tonga possesses an extensive reef system, with thousands of hectares of unobserved reefs; little is known about their ecology, nor is there any information on the health of the resident corals. Given such knowledge deficiencies, 59 reefs across three Tongan archipelagos were surveyed herein, and pocilloporid corals were sampled from approximately half of these surveyed sites; 10 molecular-scale response variable were assessed in 88 of the sampled colonies, and 12 colonies were found to be outliers based on employment of a multivariate statistics-based aberrancy detection system. These outliers differed from the statistically normally behaving colonies in having not only higher RNA/DNA ratios but also elevated expression levels of three genes: 1) Symbiodinium zinc-induced facilitator-like 1-like, 2) host coral copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, and 3) host green fluorescent protein-like chromoprotein. Outliers were also characterized by significantly higher variation amongst the molecular response variables assessed, and the response variables that contributed most significantly to colonies being delineated as outliers differed between the two predominant reef coral species sampled, Pocillopora damicornis and P. acuta. These closely related species also displayed dissimilar temporal fluctuation patterns in their molecular physiologies, an observation that may have been driven by differences in their feeding strategies. Future works should attempt to determine whether corals displaying statistically aberrant molecular physiology, such as the 12 Tongan outliers identified herein, are indeed characterized by a diminished capacity for acclimating to the rapid changes in their abiotic milieu occurring as a result of global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B. Mayfield
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, Maryland, United States of America
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
| | - Chii-Shiarng Chen
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Marine Biotechnology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Alexandra C. Dempsey
- Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, Maryland, United States of America
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Bellis ES, Denver DR. Natural Variation in Responses to Acute Heat and Cold Stress in a Sea Anemone Model System for Coral Bleaching. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2017; 233:168-181. [PMID: 29373064 DOI: 10.1086/694890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Rising ocean temperatures disrupt the symbiosis between corals and their microalgae, accelerating global decline of coral reef ecosystems. Because of the difficulty of performing laboratory experiments with corals, the sea anemone Aiptasia has emerged as an important model system for molecular studies of coral bleaching and symbiosis. Here, we investigate natural variation in bleaching responses among different genetic lineages of Aiptasia. Both heat- and cold-induced paths to symbiosis breakdown were analyzed. Significant genetic variation in response to acute heat stress was observed, with severe bleaching of two Aiptasia strains from Hawaii but minimal bleaching of strains from the U.S. South Atlantic, including the strain used to generate the Aiptasia reference genome. Both strains from Hawaii hosted Symbiodinium type B1, whereas strains from the U.S. South Atlantic hosted type A4 or B2. In contrast to the results from exposures to acute heat stress, negligible variation was observed in response to a pulsed cold shock despite moderate bleaching across all strains. These results support our hypothesis that bleaching responses to distinct stressors are independent. Our findings emphasize the role of stress regime when predicting adaptive responses of symbiotic cnidarians to changing climates, because genetic variation may exist for some forms of stress-induced bleaching but not others.
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Mayfield AB, Chen CS, Dempsey AC. Identifying corals displaying aberrant behavior in Fiji's Lau Archipelago. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177267. [PMID: 28542245 PMCID: PMC5443480 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the numerous threats against Earth’s coral reefs, there is an urgent need to develop means of assessing reef coral health on a proactive timescale. Molecular biomarkers may prove useful in this endeavor because their expression should theoretically undergo changes prior to visible signs of health decline, such as the breakdown of the coral-dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) endosymbiosis. Herein 13 molecular- and physiological-scale biomarkers spanning both eukaryotic compartments of the anthozoan-Symbiodinium mutualism were assessed across 70 pocilloporid coral colonies sampled from reefs of Fiji’s easternmost province, Lau. Eleven colonies were identified as outliers upon employment of a detection method based partially on the Mahalanobis distance; these corals were hypothesized to have been displaying aberrant sub-cellular behavior with respect to their gene expression signatures, as they were characterized not only by lower Symbiodinium densities, but also by higher levels of expression of several stress-targeted genes. Although these findings could suggest that the sampled colonies were physiologically compromised at the time of sampling, further studies are warranted to state conclusively whether these 11 scleractinian coral colonies are more stress-prone than nearby conspecifics that demonstrated statistically normal phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B. Mayfield
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, MD, United States of America
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
| | - Chii-Shiarng Chen
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Taiwan Coral Research Center, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Marine Biotechnology, National Dong Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Alexandra C. Dempsey
- Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, MD, United States of America
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Maor-Landaw K, Waldman Ben-Asher H, Karako-Lampert S, Salmon-Divon M, Prada F, Caroselli E, Goffredo S, Falini G, Dubinsky Z, Levy O. Mediterranean versus Red sea corals facing climate change, a transcriptome analysis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42405. [PMID: 28181588 PMCID: PMC5299404 DOI: 10.1038/srep42405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO2 that drives global warming and ocean acidification raises serious concerns regarding the future of corals, the main carbonate biomineralizers. Here we used transcriptome analysis to study the effect of long-term gradual temperature increase (annual rate), combined with lowered pH values, on a sub-tropical Red Sea coral, Stylophora pistillata, and on a temperate Mediterranean symbiotic coral Balanophyllia europaea. The gene expression profiles revealed a strong effect of both temperature increase and pH decrease implying for synergism response. The temperate coral, exposed to a twice as high range of seasonal temperature fluctuations than the Red Sea species, faced stress more effectively. The compensatory strategy for coping apparently involves deviating cellular resources into a massive up-regulation of genes in general, and specifically of genes involved in the generation of metabolic energy. Our results imply that sub-lethal, prolonged exposure to stress can stimulate evolutionary increase in stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Maor-Landaw
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Hiba Waldman Ben-Asher
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Sarit Karako-Lampert
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | | | - Fiorella Prada
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Erik Caroselli
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Goffredo
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Falini
- Dipartimento di Chimica 'G. Ciamician', Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Zvy Dubinsky
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Oren Levy
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Uncovering Spatio-Temporal and Treatment-Derived Differences in the Molecular Physiology of a Model Coral-Dinoflagellate Mutualism with Multivariate Statistical Approaches. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse4030063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Maor-Landaw K, Levy O. Gene expression profiles during short-term heat stress; branching vs. massive Scleractinian corals of the Red Sea. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1814. [PMID: 27069783 PMCID: PMC4824894 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that there is a hierarchy of susceptibilities amongst coral genera during heat-stress. However, molecular mechanisms governing these differences are still poorly understood. Here we explored if specific corals possessing different morphologies and different susceptibilities to heat stress may manifest varied gene expression patterns. We examined expression patterns of seven genes in the branching corals Stylophora pistillata and Acropora eurystoma and additionally in the massive robust coral, Porites sp. The tested genes are representatives of key cellular processes occurring during heat-stress in Cnidaria: oxidative stress, ER stress, energy metabolism, DNA repair and apoptosis. Varied response to the heat-stress, in terms of visual coral paling, algal maximum quantum yield and host gene expression was evident in the different growth forms. The two branching corals exhibited similar overall responses that differed from that of the massive coral. A. eurystoma that is considered as a susceptible species did not bleach in our experiment, but tissue sloughing was evident at 34 °C. Interestingly, in this species redox regulation genes were up-regulated at the very onset of the thermal challenge. In S. pistillata, bleaching was evident at 34 °C and most of the stress markers were already up-regulated at 32 °C, either remaining highly expressed or decreasing when temperatures reached 34 °C. The massive Porites species displayed severe bleaching at 32 °C but stress marker genes were only significantly elevated at 34 °C. We postulate that by expelling the algal symbionts from Porites tissues, oxidation damages are reduced and stress genes are activated only at a progressed stage. The differential gene expression responses exhibited here can be correlated with the literature well-documented hierarchy of susceptibilities amongst coral morphologies and genera in Eilat’s coral reef.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Maor-Landaw
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel
| | - Oren Levy
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel
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Mayfield AB, Wang YB, Chen CS, Lin CY, Chen SH. Compartment-specific transcriptomics in a reef-building coral exposed to elevated temperatures. Mol Ecol 2015; 23:5816-30. [PMID: 25354956 PMCID: PMC4265203 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Revised: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Although rising ocean temperatures threaten scleractinian corals and the reefs they construct, certain reef corals can acclimate to elevated temperatures to which they are rarely exposed in situ. Specimens of the model Indo-Pacific reef coral Pocillopora damicornis collected from upwelling reefs of Southern Taiwan were previously found to have survived a 36-week exposure to 30°C, a temperature they encounter infrequently and one that can elicit the breakdown of the coral–dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) endosymbiosis in many corals of the Pacific Ocean. To gain insight into the subcellular pathways utilized by both the coral hosts and their mutualistic Symbiodinium populations to acclimate to this temperature, mRNAs from both control (27°C) and high (30°C)-temperature samples were sequenced on an Illumina platform and assembled into a 236 435-contig transcriptome. These P. damicornis specimens were found to be ∼60% anthozoan and 40% microbe (Symbiodinium, other eukaryotic microbes, and bacteria), from an mRNA-perspective. Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of genes from the Symbiodinium compartment were differentially expressed after two weeks of exposure. Specifically, at elevated temperatures, Symbiodinium populations residing within the coral gastrodermal tissues were more likely to up-regulate the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in metabolism than their coral hosts. Collectively, these transcriptome-scale data suggest that the two members of this endosymbiosis have distinct strategies for acclimating to elevated temperatures that are expected to characterize many of Earth's coral reefs in the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 2 Houwan Rd., Checheng, Pingtung, 944, Taiwan; Living Oceans Foundation, 8181 Professional Place, Suite 215, Landover, MD, 20785, USA
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Mayfield AB, Hsiao YY, Chen HK, Chen CS. Rubisco expression in the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp. is influenced by both photoperiod and endosymbiotic lifestyle. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 16:371-384. [PMID: 24449387 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-014-9558-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although the importance of anthozoan-dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) endosymbioses in the establishment of coral reef ecosystems is evident, little is known about the molecular regulation of photosynthesis in the intra-gastrodermal symbiont communities, particularly with respect to the rate-limiting Calvin cycle enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco). In this study, we analyzed rubisco mRNA (rbcL) and protein (RBCL) concentrations over the diel cycle in both cultured and endosymbiotic Symbiodinium samples. In the former, rbcL expression increased upon illumination and decreased during the dark, a pattern that was upheld under continual dark incubation. A different trend in rbcL expression was observed in endosymbiotic Symbiodinium residing within sea anemone (Aiptasia pulchella) tissues, in which illumination gradually led to decreased rbcL mRNA expression. Unexpectedly, RBCL protein expression did not vary over time within anemone tissues, and in neither cultured nor endosymbiotic samples was a correlation between gene and protein expression documented. It appears, then, that photoperiod, lifestyle, and posttranscriptional regulation are all important drivers of RBCL expression in this ecologically important dinoflagellate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- Taiwan Coral Research Center (TCRC), National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 2 Houwan Rd., Checheng, Pingtung 944, Taiwan, Republic of China
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14
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Seveso D, Montano S, Strona G, Orlandi I, Galli P, Vai M. The susceptibility of corals to thermal stress by analyzing Hsp60 expression. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 99:69-75. [PMID: 24999860 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Due to the increasing frequency and severity of the coral bleaching events in the context of global warming, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the susceptibility of corals to thermal stresses, particularly at the sub-cellular level. In this context, we examined the modulation of the polyp mitochondrial Hsp60 in three scleractinian coral species (Seriatopora hystrix, Montipora monasteriata and Acropora echinata) under simulated heat shock bleaching at 34 °C during a time course of 36 h. All three species displayed a similar initial increase of Hsp60 level which accompanies the increasing paleness of coral tissue. Afterwards, each of them showed a specific pattern of Hsp60 down-regulation which can be indicative of a different threshold of resistance, although it proceeded in synchrony with the complete bleaching of tissues. The finely branched S. hystrix was the species most susceptible to heat stress while the plating M. monasteriata was the most tolerant one, as its Hsp60 down-regulation was less rapid than the branching corals. On the whole, the Hsp60 modulation appears useful for providing information about the susceptibility of the different coral taxa to environmental disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Seveso
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milan, Italy; MaRHE Centre (Marine Research and High Education Centre), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives.
| | - Simone Montano
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milan, Italy; MaRHE Centre (Marine Research and High Education Centre), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives
| | - Giovanni Strona
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Ivan Orlandi
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Galli
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milan, Italy; MaRHE Centre (Marine Research and High Education Centre), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives
| | - Marina Vai
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milan, Italy
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15
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Mayfield AB, Chen MN, Meng PJ, Lin HJ, Chen CS, Liu PJ. The physiological response of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis to elevated temperature: results from coral reef mesocosm experiments in Southern Taiwan. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2013; 86:1-11. [PMID: 23453047 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2012] [Revised: 01/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Given the threat of climate change towards scleractinian corals, there is an urgent need to understand their physiological mechanisms of acclimation to increasing temperatures. To gain insight into this process, two mesocosm-based experiments were conducted in Southern Taiwan with the model reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis. In the first study, temperature was gradually elevated to 32 °C, though reduced to ambient levels at night, in order to simulate a temperature profile that can characterize intertidal reefs of Southern Taiwan. All corals acclimated to such conditions over the course of the month-long experiment, as evidenced by a variety of physiological and sub-cellular responses. In the second experiment, corals were exposed continually to 31.5 °C for two weeks, and, in contrast to results from the first study, the majority of the corals died, revealing that prolonged exposure to this temperature is lethal for this dominant reef builder of many regions of the Pacific Ocean.
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16
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Mayfield AB, Chan PH, Putnam HM, Chen CS, Fan TY. The effects of a variable temperature regime on the physiology of the reef-building coral Seriatopora hystrix: results from a laboratory-based reciprocal transplant. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 215:4183-95. [PMID: 22933614 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.071688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To understand the effects of global climate change on reef-building corals, a thorough investigation of their physiological mechanisms of acclimatization is warranted. However, static temperature manipulations may underestimate the thermal complexity of the reefs in which many corals live. For instance, corals of Houbihu, Taiwan, experience changes in temperature of up to 10°C over the course of a day during spring-tide upwelling events. To better understand the phenotypic plasticity of these corals, a laboratory-based experiment was conducted whereby specimens of Seriatopora hystrix from an upwelling reef (Houbihu) and conspecifics from a non-upwelling reef (Houwan) were exposed to both a stable seawater temperature (26°C) regime and a regime characterized by a 6°C fluctuation (23-29°C) over a 12 h period for 7 days. A suite of physiological and molecular parameters was measured in samples of both treatments, as well as in experimental controls, to determine site of origin (SO) and temperature treatment (TT) responses. Only chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration and growth demonstrated the hypothesized trend of higher levels when exposed to a TT that mimicked SO conditions. In contrast, chl a, maximum dark-adapted quantum yield of photosystem II (F(v)/F(m)), and Symbiodinium ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL), photosystem I (psI, subunit III) and phosphoglycolate phosphatase (pgpase) mRNA expression demonstrated significant TT effects. Specifically, levels of these response variables were higher in samples exposed to a variable temperature regime, suggesting that S. hystrix may acclimate to fluctuating temperatures by increasing its capacity for photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC.
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17
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Meyer E, Weis VM. Study of cnidarian-algal symbiosis in the "omics" age. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2012; 223:44-65. [PMID: 22983032 DOI: 10.1086/bblv223n1p44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The symbiotic associations between cnidarians and dinoflagellate algae (Symbiodinium) support productive and diverse ecosystems in coral reefs. Many aspects of this association, including the mechanistic basis of host-symbiont recognition and metabolic interaction, remain poorly understood. The first completed genome sequence for a symbiotic anthozoan is now available (the coral Acropora digitifera), and extensive expressed sequence tag resources are available for a variety of other symbiotic corals and anemones. These resources make it possible to profile gene expression, protein abundance, and protein localization associated with the symbiotic state. Here we review the history of "omics" studies of cnidarian-algal symbiosis and the current availability of sequence resources for corals and anemones, identifying genes putatively involved in symbiosis across 10 anthozoan species. The public availability of candidate symbiosis-associated genes leaves the field of cnidarian-algal symbiosis poised for in-depth comparative studies of sequence diversity and gene expression and for targeted functional studies of genes associated with symbiosis. Reviewing the progress to date suggests directions for future investigations of cnidarian-algal symbiosis that include (i) sequencing of Symbiodinium, (ii) proteomic analysis of the symbiosome membrane complex, (iii) glycomic analysis of Symbiodinium cell surfaces, and (iv) expression profiling of the gastrodermal cells hosting Symbiodinium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli Meyer
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA.
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18
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Mayfield AB, Wang LH, Tang PC, Fan TY, Hsiao YY, Tsai CL, Chen CS. Assessing the impacts of experimentally elevated temperature on the biological composition and molecular chaperone gene expression of a reef coral. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26529. [PMID: 22046302 PMCID: PMC3203140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the potential for increasing ocean temperatures to detrimentally impact reef-building corals, there is an urgent need to better understand not only the coral thermal stress response, but also natural variation in their sub-cellular composition. To address this issue, while simultaneously developing a molecular platform for studying one of the most common Taiwanese reef corals, Seriatopora hystrix, 1,092 cDNA clones were sequenced and characterized. Subsequently, RNA, DNA and protein were extracted sequentially from colonies exposed to elevated (30°C) temperature for 48 hours. From the RNA phase, a heat shock protein-70 (hsp70)-like gene, deemed hsp/c, was identified in the coral host, and expression of this gene was measured with real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in both the host anthozoan and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium). While mRNA levels were not affected by temperature in either member, hsp/c expression was temporally variable in both and co-varied within biopsies. From the DNA phase, host and Symbiodinium hsp/c genome copy proportions (GCPs) were calculated to track changes in the biological composition of the holobiont during the experiment. While there was no temperature effect on either host or Symbiodinium GCP, both demonstrated significant temporal variation. Finally, total soluble protein was responsive to neither temperature nor exposure time, though the protein/DNA ratio varied significantly over time. Collectively, it appears that time, and not temperature, is a more important driver of the variation in these parameters, highlighting the need to consider natural variation in both gene expression and the molecular make-up of coral holobionts when conducting manipulative studies. This represents the first study to survey multiple macromolecules from both compartments of an endosymbiotic organism with methodologies that reflect their dual-compartmental nature, ideally generating a framework for assessing molecular-level changes within corals and other endosymbioses exposed to changes in their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson B Mayfield
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC.
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19
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Development of gene expression markers of acute heat-light stress in reef-building corals of the genus Porites. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26914. [PMID: 22046408 PMCID: PMC3202587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 10/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are declining worldwide due to increased incidence of climate-induced coral bleaching, which will have widespread biodiversity and economic impacts. A simple method to measure the sub-bleaching level of heat-light stress experienced by corals would greatly inform reef management practices by making it possible to assess the distribution of bleaching risks among individual reef sites. Gene expression analysis based on quantitative PCR (qPCR) can be used as a diagnostic tool to determine coral condition in situ. We evaluated the expression of 13 candidate genes during heat-light stress in a common Caribbean coral Porites astreoides, and observed strong and consistent changes in gene expression in two independent experiments. Furthermore, we found that the apparent return to baseline expression levels during a recovery phase was rapid, despite visible signs of colony bleaching. We show that the response to acute heat-light stress in P. astreoides can be monitored by measuring the difference in expression of only two genes: Hsp16 and actin. We demonstrate that this assay discriminates between corals sampled from two field sites experiencing different temperatures. We also show that the assay is applicable to an Indo-Pacific congener, P. lobata, and therefore could potentially be used to diagnose acute heat-light stress on coral reefs worldwide.
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Rosic NN, Pernice M, Rodriguez-Lanetty M, Hoegh-Guldberg O. Validation of housekeeping genes for gene expression studies in Symbiodinium exposed to thermal and light stress. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2011; 13:355-65. [PMID: 20668900 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-010-9308-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2009] [Accepted: 07/05/2010] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Unicellular photosynthetic algae (dinoflagellate) from the genus Symbiodinium live in mutualistic symbiosis with reef-building corals. Cultured Symbiodinium sp. (clade C) were exposed to a range of environmental stresses that included elevated temperatures (29°C and 32°C) under high (100 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1) Photosynthetic Active Radiation) and low (10 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1)) irradiances. Using real-time RT-PCR the stability of expression for the nine selected putative housekeeping genes (HKGs) was tested. The most stable expression pattern was identified for cyclophilin and S-adenosyl methionine synthetase (SAM) followed by S4 ribosomal protein (Rp-S4), Calmodulin (Cal), and Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (Cox), respectively. Thermal stress alone resulted in the highest expression stability for Rp-S4 and SAM, with a minimum of two reference genes required for data normalization. For Symbiodinium exposed to both, light and thermal stresses, at least five reference genes were recommended by geNorm analysis. In parallel, the expression of Hsp90 for Symbiodinium in culture and in symbiosis within coral host (Acropora millepora) was evaluated using the most stable HKGs. Our results revealed a drop in Hsp90 expression after an 18 h-period and a 24 h-period of exposure to elevated temperatures indicating the similar Hsp90 expression profile in symbiotic and non-symbiotic environments. This study provides the first list of the HKGs and will provide a useful reference in future gene expression studies in symbiotic dinoflagellates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedeljka N Rosic
- Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia.
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Pernice M, Dunn SR, Miard T, Dufour S, Dove S, Hoegh-Guldberg O. Regulation of apoptotic mediators reveals dynamic responses to thermal stress in the reef building coral Acropora millepora. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16095. [PMID: 21283671 PMCID: PMC3025915 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2010] [Accepted: 12/07/2010] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mass coral bleaching is increasing in scale and frequency across the world's coral reefs and is being driven primarily by increased levels of thermal stress arising from global warming. In order to understand the impacts of projected climate change upon corals reefs, it is important to elucidate the underlying cellular mechanisms that operate during coral bleaching and subsequent mortality. In this respect, increased apoptotic cell death activity is an important cellular process that is associated with the breakdown of the mutualistic symbiosis between the cnidarian host and their dinoflagellate symbionts. Methodology/Principal Findings The present study reports the impacts of different stressors (colchicine and heat stress) on three phases of apoptosis: (i) the potential initiation by differential expression of Bcl-2 members, (ii) the execution of apoptotic events by activation of caspase 3-like proteases and (iii) and finally, the cell disposal indicated by DNA fragmentation in the reef building coral Acropora millepora. In corals incubated with colchicine, an increase in caspase 3-like activity and DNA fragmentation was associated with a relative down-regulation of Bcl-2, suggesting that the initiation of apoptosis may be mediated by the suppression of an anti-apoptotic mechanism. In contrast, in the early steps of heat stress, the induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis was related to a relative up-regulation of Bcl-2 consecutively followed by a delayed decrease in apoptosis activity. Conclusions/Significance In the light of these results, we propose a model of heat stress in coral hosts whereby increasing temperatures engage activation of caspase 3-dependent apoptosis in cells designated for termination, but also the onset of a delayed protective response involving overexpression of Bcl-2 in surviving cells. This mitigating response to thermal stress could conceivably be an important regulatory mechanism for cell survival in corals exposed to sudden environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Pernice
- Coral Reef Ecosystem Laboratory, Global Change Institute, ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
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22
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Seneca FO, Forêt S, Ball EE, Smith-Keune C, Miller DJ, van Oppen MJH. Patterns of gene expression in a scleractinian coral undergoing natural bleaching. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2010; 12:594-604. [PMID: 20041338 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-009-9247-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2009] [Accepted: 10/08/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Coral bleaching is a major threat to coral reefs worldwide and is predicted to intensify with increasing global temperature. This study represents the first investigation of gene expression in an Indo-Pacific coral species undergoing natural bleaching which involved the loss of algal symbionts. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction experiments were conducted to select and evaluate coral internal control genes (ICGs), and to investigate selected coral genes of interest (GOIs) for changes in gene expression in nine colonies of the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora undergoing bleaching at Magnetic Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Among the six ICGs tested, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and the ribosomal protein genes S7 and L9 exhibited the most constant expression levels between samples from healthy-looking colonies and samples from the same colonies when severely bleached a year later. These ICGs were therefore utilised for normalisation of expression data for seven selected GOIs. Of the seven GOIs, homologues of catalase, C-type lectin and chromoprotein genes were significantly up-regulated as a result of bleaching by factors of 1.81, 1.46 and 1.61 (linear mixed models analysis of variance, P < 0.05), respectively. We present these genes as potential coral bleaching response genes. In contrast, three genes, including one putative ICG, showed highly variable levels of expression between coral colonies. Potential variation in microhabitat, gene function unrelated to the stress response and individualised stress responses may influence such differences between colonies and need to be better understood when designing and interpreting future studies of gene expression in natural coral populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois O Seneca
- Coral Genomics Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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