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Yu X, Yu K, Liao Z, Chen B, Qin Z, Liang J, Gao X. Adaptation strategies of relatively high-latitude marginal reef corals in response to severe temperature fluctuations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166439. [PMID: 37604380 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
The large seasonal temperature fluctuations caused by global warming and frequent marine heatwaves pose new challenges to survival of relatively high-latitude marginal reef corals. However, the adaptation strategies of high-latitude marginal corals are not fully understood. We employed integrated approach to investigate the response mechanism of hosts, Symbiodiniaceae, and symbiotic bacteria of marginal reef corals Acropora pruinosa and Pavona decussate in response to large seasonal temperature fluctuations. The coral holobiont maintained a high level of immunity to adapt to seasonal pressure by increasing Symbiodiniaceae energy supply. The symbiotic Symbiodiniaceae of two coral was dominated by C1 subgroup, and was stable across seasons. The α-diversity of symbiotic bacteria P. decussata and A. pruinosa in summer was higher than that in winter. The symbiotic bacterial community of two coral reorganized during different seasons. Scleractinian corals improve adaptability to seasonal stress by increasing energy supply to maintain high levels of immunity, increasing symbiotic bacterial α-diversity, and changing dominant bacteria. This study demonstrates the adaptation strategies of marginal reef corals to seasonal temperature fluctuations and provides novel insights into the study of the adaptation of corals and relatively high-latitude coral refuges in the context of global warming and intensified marine heatwaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopeng Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China.
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Biao Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhenjun Qin
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jiayuan Liang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xu Gao
- Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China
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2
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Jacobovitz MR, Hambleton EA, Guse A. Unlocking the Complex Cell Biology of Coral-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis: A Model Systems Approach. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:411-434. [PMID: 37722685 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-072320-125436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions occur in all domains of life, providing organisms with resources to adapt to new habitats. A prime example is the endosymbiosis between corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates. Eukaryotic dinoflagellate symbionts reside inside coral cells and transfer essential nutrients to their hosts, driving the productivity of the most biodiverse marine ecosystem. Recent advances in molecular and genomic characterization have revealed symbiosis-specific genes and mechanisms shared among symbiotic cnidarians. In this review, we focus on the cellular and molecular processes that underpin the interaction between symbiont and host. We discuss symbiont acquisition via phagocytosis, modulation of host innate immunity, symbiont integration into host cell metabolism, and nutrient exchange as a fundamental aspect of stable symbiotic associations. We emphasize the importance of using model systems to dissect the cellular complexity of endosymbiosis, which ultimately serves as the basis for understanding its ecology and capacity to adapt in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R Jacobovitz
- Cell Biology and Biophysics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Hambleton
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
| | - Annika Guse
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany;
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3
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Wong KH, Putnam HM. The genome of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides. GIGABYTE 2022; 2022:gigabyte65. [PMID: 36824531 PMCID: PMC9693771 DOI: 10.46471/gigabyte.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic effects have contributed to substantial declines in coral reefs worldwide. However, some corals are more resilient to environmental changes and have increased in relative abundance, thus these species may shape future reef communities. Here, we provide the first draft reference genome for the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, collected in Bermuda. DNA was sequenced via Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) HiFi long-read technology. PacBio read assembly with FALCON UnZip resulted in a 678-Mbp assembly with 3051 contigs with an N50 of 412,256 and the BUSCO completeness analysis resulted in 90.9% of the metazoan gene set. An ab initio transcriptome was also produced with 64,636 gene models with a transcriptome BUSCO completeness analysis of 77.5% versus the metazoan gene set. Functional annotation was completed for 86.6% of proteins. These data are valuable resources for improving biological knowledge of P. astreoides, facilitating comparative genomics for corals, and supporting evidence-based restoration and human-assisted evolution of corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin H. Wong
- University of Rhode Island, Department of Biological Sciences, USA
| | - Hollie M. Putnam
- University of Rhode Island, Department of Biological Sciences, USA
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4
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Rivera HE, Davies SW. Symbiosis maintenance in the facultative coral, Oculina arbuscula, relies on nitrogen cycling, cell cycle modulation, and immunity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21226. [PMID: 34707162 PMCID: PMC8551165 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00697-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis with unicellular algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae is common across tropical marine invertebrates. Reef-building corals offer a clear example of cellular dysfunction leading to a dysbiosis that disrupts entire ecosystems in a process termed coral bleaching. Due to their obligate symbiotic relationship, understanding the molecular underpinnings that sustain this symbiosis in tropical reef-building corals is challenging, as any aposymbiotic state is inherently coupled with severe physiological stress. Here, we leverage the subtropical, facultatively symbiotic and calcifying coral Oculina arbuscula to investigate gene expression differences between aposymbiotic and symbiotic branches within the same colonies under baseline conditions. We further compare gene ontology (GO) and KOG enrichment in gene expression patterns from O. arbuscula with prior work in the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (Aiptasia) and the salamander Ambystoma maculatum-both of which exhibit endophotosymbiosis with unicellular algae. We identify nitrogen cycling, cell cycle control, and immune responses as key pathways involved in the maintenance of symbiosis under baseline conditions. Understanding the mechanisms that sustain a healthy symbiosis between corals and Symbiodiniaceae algae is of urgent importance given the vulnerability of these partnerships to changing environmental conditions and their role in the continued functioning of critical and highly diverse marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- H E Rivera
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - S W Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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5
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Yu X, Yu K, Huang W, Liang J, Qin Z, Chen B, Yao Q, Liao Z. Thermal acclimation increases heat tolerance of the scleractinian coral Acropora pruinosa. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 733:139319. [PMID: 32446076 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Field ecological observations indicate that scleractinian coral exposed to early thermal stress are likely to develop higher tolerance to subsequent heat stress. The causes of this phenomenon, however, remain enigmatic. To unravel the mechanisms underlying the increased heat tolerance, we applied different thermal treatments to the scleractinian coral Acropora pruinosa and studied the resulting differences in appearance, physiological index, Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities, and transcriptome response. We found that early heat stress improved the thermal tolerance of the coral holobiont. After thermal acclimation, the community structure and symbiotic bacterial diversity in the microbiota were reorganized, whereas those of Symbiodiniaceae remained stable. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the downregulated coral host genes were mainly involved in pathways relating to metabolism, particularly the nitrogen metabolism pathway. This indicates that thermal acclimation led to decrease in the metabolism level in the coral host, which might be a self-protection mechanism. We suggest that thermal acclimation may increase scleractinian coral thermal tolerance by slowing host metabolism, altering the dominant bacterial population, and increasing bacterial diversity. This study offers new insights into the adaptive potential of scleractinian coral to heat stress from global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopeng Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Zhuhai), China.
| | - Wen Huang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jiayuan Liang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhenjun Qin
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Biao Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Qiucui Yao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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6
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Reynolds DA, Yoo MJ, Dixson DL, Ross C. Exposure to the Florida red tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, and its associated brevetoxins induces ecophysiological and proteomic alterations in Porites astreoides. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228414. [PMID: 32032360 PMCID: PMC7006924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
As reef-building corals are increasingly being exposed to persistent threats that operate on both regional and global scales, there is a pressing need to better understand the complex processes that diminish coral populations. This study investigated the impacts of the Florida red tide dinoflagellate Karenia brevis and associated brevetoxins on selected facets of coral biology using Porites astreoides as a model system. When provided with choice assays, P. astreoides larvae were shown to actively avoid seawater containing red tide (5×105 cells L-1–7.6×106 cells L-1) or purified brevetoxins (0.018 μg mL-1 brevetoxin-2 and 0.0018 μg mL-1 brevetoxin-3). However, forced exposure to similar treatments induced time-dependent physiological and behavioral changes that were captured by PAM fluorometry and settlement and survival assays, respectively. Adult fragments of P. astreoides exposed to red tide or associated brevetoxins displayed signs of proteomic alterations that were characterized by the use of an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis. The novel use of this technique with P. astreoides demonstrated that protein regulation was highly contingent upon biological versus chemical treatment (i.e. live K. brevis vs. solely brevetoxin exposure) and that several broad pathways associated with cell stress were affected including redox homeostasis, protein folding, energy metabolism and reactive oxygen species production. The results herein provide new insight into the ecology, behavior and sublethal stress of reef-building corals in response to K. brevis exposure and underscore the importance of recognizing the potential of red tide to act as a regional stressor to these important foundation species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Reynolds
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Mi-Jeong Yoo
- Department of Biology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York, United States of America
| | - Danielle L. Dixson
- School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Cliff Ross
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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7
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Mansour TA, Rosenthal JJC, Brown CT, Roberson LM. Correction to: Transcriptome of the caribbean stony coral Porites astreoides from three developmental stages. Gigascience 2019; 8:5626376. [PMID: 31730696 PMCID: PMC6857687 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tamer A Mansour
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Joshua J C Rosenthal
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.,Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - C Titus Brown
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Loretta M Roberson
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
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8
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Walker NS, Fernández R, Sneed JM, Paul VJ, Giribet G, Combosch DJ. Differential gene expression during substrate probing in larvae of the Caribbean coral Porites astreoides. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4899-4913. [PMID: 31596993 PMCID: PMC6900098 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The transition from larva to adult is a critical step in the life history strategy of most marine animals. However, the genetic basis of this life history change remains poorly understood in many taxa, including most coral species. Recent evidence suggests that coral planula larvae undergo significant changes at the physiological and molecular levels throughout the development. To investigate this, we characterized differential gene expression (DGE) during the transition from planula to adult polyp in the abundant Caribbean reef-building coral Porites astreoides, that is from nonprobing to actively substrate-probing larva, a stage required for colony initiation. This period is crucial for the coral, because it demonstrates preparedness to locate appropriate substrata for settlement based on vital environmental cues. Through RNA-Seq, we identified 860 differentially expressed holobiont genes between probing and nonprobing larvae (p ≤ .01), the majority of which were upregulated in probing larvae. Surprisingly, differentially expressed genes of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate origin greatly outnumbered coral genes, compared with a nearly 1:1 ratio of coral-to-dinoflagellate gene representation in the holobiont transcriptome. This unanticipated result suggests that dinoflagellate endosymbionts may play a significant role in the transition from nonprobing to probing behaviour in dinoflagellate-rich larvae. Putative holobiont genes were largely involved in protein and nucleotide binding, metabolism and transport. Genes were also linked to environmental sensing and response and integral signalling pathways. Our results thus provide detailed insight into molecular changes prior to larval settlement and highlight the complex physiological and biochemical changes that occur in early transition stages from pelagic to benthic stages in corals, and perhaps more importantly, in their endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nia S Walker
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Rosa Fernández
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Gonzalo Giribet
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David J Combosch
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU, USA
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9
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Johnson LK, Alexander H, Brown CT. Re-assembly, quality evaluation, and annotation of 678 microbial eukaryotic reference transcriptomes. Gigascience 2019; 8:giy158. [PMID: 30544207 PMCID: PMC6481552 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND De novo transcriptome assemblies are required prior to analyzing RNA sequencing data from a species without an existing reference genome or transcriptome. Despite the prevalence of transcriptomic studies, the effects of using different workflows, or "pipelines," on the resulting assemblies are poorly understood. Here, a pipeline was programmatically automated and used to assemble and annotate raw transcriptomic short-read data collected as part of the Marine Microbial Eukaryotic Transcriptome Sequencing Project. The resulting transcriptome assemblies were evaluated and compared against assemblies that were previously generated with a different pipeline developed by the National Center for Genome Research. RESULTS New transcriptome assemblies contained the majority of previous contigs as well as new content. On average, 7.8% of the annotated contigs in the new assemblies were novel gene names not found in the previous assemblies. Taxonomic trends were observed in the assembly metrics. Assemblies from the Dinoflagellata showed a higher number of contigs and unique k-mers than transcriptomes from other phyla, while assemblies from Ciliophora had a lower percentage of open reading frames compared to other phyla. CONCLUSIONS Given current bioinformatics approaches, there is no single "best" reference transcriptome for a particular set of raw data. As the optimum transcriptome is a moving target, improving (or not) with new tools and approaches, automated and programmable pipelines are invaluable for managing the computationally intensive tasks required for re-processing large sets of samples with revised pipelines and ensuring a common evaluation workflow is applied to all samples. Thus, re-assembling existing data with new tools using automated and programmable pipelines may yield more accurate identification of taxon-specific trends across samples in addition to novel and useful products for the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa K Johnson
- Department of Population Health, and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Harriet Alexander
- Department of Population Health, and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - C Titus Brown
- Department of Population Health, and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, 451 Health Sciences Dr, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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10
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Kirk NL, Howells EJ, Abrego D, Burt JA, Meyer E. Genomic and transcriptomic signals of thermal tolerance in heat‐tolerant corals (
Platygyra daedalea
) of the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5180-5194. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan L. Kirk
- Department of Integrative BiologyOregon State University Corvallis Oregon
| | - Emily J. Howells
- Center for Genomics and Systems BiologyNew York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi UAE
| | - David Abrego
- Department of Natural Science and Public HealthZayed University Abu Dhabi UAE
| | - John A. Burt
- Center for Genomics and Systems BiologyNew York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi UAE
| | - Eli Meyer
- Department of Integrative BiologyOregon State University Corvallis Oregon
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11
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Orosz F. Does apicortin, a characteristic protein of apicomplexan parasites and placozoa, occur in Eumetazoa? Acta Parasitol 2018; 63:617-633. [PMID: 29975637 DOI: 10.1515/ap-2018-0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Apicortin is a characteristic protein of apicomplexan parasites which has recently been identified in their free-living cousins, chromerids as well. The placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens is the only animal possessing this protein and apicortin is one of its most abundant proteins. The recently published transcriptome of the cnidarian Porites astreoides contains an apicortin-like sequence. Other cnidarians do not have it, thus it is its first occurrence not only in this phylum but also in Eumetazoa. However, its translated amino acid sequence is more similar to apicomplexan apicortins than to that of T. adhaerens, the GC ratio is much higher than either the genome-wide GC ratio of P. astreoides or that of the placozoan apicortin gene, and phylogenetic analyses suggest that this apicortin has an apicomplexan origin. Although these data might be indicative for a horizontal gene transfer event, we should be cautious to state it; it is more probable that it is a contamination from a gregarine, a marine Apicomplexa. Thus T. adhaerens remains the only animal where the presence of apicortin is proved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Orosz
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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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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Mansour TA, Rosenthal JJC, Brown CT, Roberson LM. Transcriptome of the Caribbean stony coral Porites astreoides from three developmental stages. Gigascience 2016; 5:33. [PMID: 27485233 PMCID: PMC4969664 DOI: 10.1186/s13742-016-0138-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Porites astreoides is a ubiquitous species of coral on modern Caribbean reefs that is resistant to increasing temperatures, overfishing, and other anthropogenic impacts that have threatened most other coral species. We assembled and annotated a transcriptome from this coral using Illumina sequences from three different developmental stages collected over several years: free-swimming larvae, newly settled larvae, and adults (>10 cm in diameter). This resource will aid understanding of coral calcification, larval settlement, and host-symbiont interactions. FINDINGS A de novo transcriptome for the P. astreoides holobiont (coral plus algal symbiont) was assembled using 594 Mbp of raw Illumina sequencing data generated from five age-specific cDNA libraries. The new transcriptome consists of 867 255 transcript elements with an average length of 685 bases. The isolated P. astreoides assembly consists of 129 718 transcript elements with an average length of 811 bases, and the isolated Symbiodinium sp. assembly had 186 177 transcript elements with an average length of 1105 bases. CONCLUSIONS This contribution to coral transcriptome data provides a valuable resource for researchers studying the ontogeny of gene expression patterns within both the coral and its dinoflagellate symbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamer A. Mansour
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California USA
- Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Joshua J. C. Rosenthal
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts USA
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico USA
| | - C. Titus Brown
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California USA
| | - Loretta M. Roberson
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts USA
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico USA
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