Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

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Transcriptomic profiles of the Mediterranean sponge species Aplysina aerophoba upon wounding by the specialist grazer Tylodina perversa

ABSTRACT: In the seabed, chemical defences mediate inter- and intraspecific interactions and may determine organisms’ success, shaping the diversity and function of benthic communities. Sponges represent a prominent example of chemically-defended marine organisms with great ecological success. The ecological factors controlling the production of their defensive compounds and the evolutionary forces that select for these defences remain little understood. Each sponge species produces a specific and diverse chemical arsenal with fish-deterrent, antifouling and antimicrobial properties. However, some small animals (mesograzers), mainly sea slugs, have specialized in living and feeding on sponges. Feeding on chemically-defended organisms provides a strategy to avoid predators, albeit the poor nutritional value of sponges. In order to investigate the mechanisms that control sponge chemical defence, with particular focus on the response to specialist grazers, we investigated the interaction between the sponge Aplysina aerophoba and the sea slug Tylodina perversa. Here we performed controlled experiments and collected sponge samples at different time points (3h, 1d and 6d after treatment). To further elucidate if the sponge response is specific to grazing by T. perversa, we also included a treatment in which sponges were mechanically damaged with a scalpel. We compared gene expression between treatments based on RNA-Seq data.

INSTRUMENT(S): Illumina HiSeq 4000

ORGANISM(S): Aplysina aerophoba

SUBMITTER: Ute Hentschel

PROVIDER: E-MTAB-8601 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Project description:A common experimental setup to investigate the function of a microRNA is a â??gain-of-functionâ?? approach, in which the microRNA of interest is overexpressed to analyze its impact on a given process. However, a major drawback of this technique is that microRNAs, when expressed significantly above endogenous levels, may target genes that are not affected under physiological conditions. To circumvent this problem, we have generated a retroviral microRNA-knockdown library encompassing the majority of the microRNA families expressed throughout lymphocyte development. MicroRNA knockdown is mediated by sponges, mRNAs that possess multiple binding sites for a certain microRNA family in their 3â??-UTR region. MiRNA sponges function as competitive inhibitors that sequester all specific microRNA/RISC complexes, thereby de-repressing the endogenous target genes. Using this library in pre-B cells as a model system, we have characterized all microRNAs expressed in early B cells development according to their impact on processes such as apoptosis and differentiation. In doing so, we show that functional knockdown of the known tumor-suppressive miR-15 family has only slight effects under cellular steady-state conditions. Upon withdrawal of the growth factor IL-7, however, loss of miR-15 function almost completely inhibits pre-B to immature B cell differentiation, partially protects from apoptosis and enables prolonged proliferation. In correspondence with that, knockdown of the miR-15 family confers a competitive advantage in suboptimal IL-7 concentrations, indicating that levels of miR-15 determine the sensitivity of cells towards growth factor receptor signaling. Moreover, IL-7 withdrawal seems to increase the activity of endogenous miR-15 family members in pre-B cells. Using microarray analysis, we have identified cyclin E1 as a direct and cyclin D3 as an indirect putative target gene of the miR-15 family in B cell precursors. Exogenous expression of cyclin E1 or cyclin D3 recapitulates the miR-15 loss-of-function phenotype in B cell precursors, validating their biological importance. Together, this suggests that the miR-15 family functions as a central element in a positive feedback loop that reinforces cell-cycle arrest at low growth factor concentrations, which is considered a prerequisite for light chain gene recombination and differentiation. Gene expression in cells expressing a scrambled sponge as a control vector or a sponge designed to sequester all members of the miR-15 family (miR-15a, miR-15b, miR-16, miR-497, miR-195, miR-322) was measured either in the presence or 36 hours after withdrawal of the growth factor IL-7. Two independent experiments were performed, using independently generated cell clones for each repetition.

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Transcriptomic profiles of the Mediterranean sponge species Aplysina aerophoba upon wounding by the specialist grazer Tylodina perversa

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