Project description:Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are calcifying red macroalgae that play important ecological roles including stabilisation of reef frameworks and provision of settlement cues for a range of marine invertebrates. Previous research into the responses of CCA to ocean warming (OW) and ocean acidification (OA) have found magnitude of effect to be species-specific. Response to OW and OA could be linked to divergent underlying molecular processes across species. Here we show Sporolithon durum, a species that exhibits low sensitivity to climate stressors, had little change in metabolic performance and did not significantly alter the expression of any genes when exposed to temperature and pH perturbations. In contrast, Porolithon onkodes, a major coral reef builder, reduced photosynthetic rates and had a labile transcriptomic response with over 400 significantly differentially expressed genes, with differential regulation of genes relating to physiological processes such as carbon acquisition and metabolism. The differential gene expression detected in P. onkodes implicates possible key metabolic pathways, including the pentose phosphate pathway, in the stress response of this species. We suggest S. durum is more resistant to OW and OA than P. onkodes, which demonstrated a high sensitivity to climate stressors and may have limited ability for acclimatisation. Understanding changes in gene expression in relation to physiological processes of CCA could help us understand and predict how different species will respond to, and persist in, future ocean conditions predicted for 2100.
Project description:The largest of the tuna species, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), inhabits the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is considered to be an endangered species, largely through overfishing. Thus, the development of aquaculture practices independent of wild resources can provide an important contribution towards ensuring security and sustainability of this species in the longer-term. In order to provide a resource for ongoing studies, we have used 454 pyrosequencing technology to sequence a mixed-tissue normalized cDNA library, derived from adult individuals. Transcript sequences were used to develop a novel 15K Agilent oligo microarray for T. thynnus and comparative tissue gene expression profiles were inferred for gill, heart, liver, ovaries and testes.
Project description:The available energy and carbon sources for prokaryotes in the deep ocean remain still largely enigmatic. Reduced sulfur compounds, such as thiosulfate, are a potential energy source for both auto- and heterotrophic marine prokaryotes. Shipboard experiments performed in the North Atlantic using Labrador Sea Water (~2000 m depth) amended with thiosulfate led to an enhanced prokaryotic dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fixation.
Project description:An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and large volume underwater pumps were used to collect microbial biomass from offshore waters of the Sargasso Sea, from surface waters and into the deep ocean. Seawater collection was performed along a transect in the western North Atlantic Ocean beginning near Bermuda and ending off the coast of Massachusetts, capturing metabolic signatures from oligotrophic, continental margin, and productive coastal ecosystems.
Project description:Metaproteomics is an increasingly popular methodology that provides information regarding the metabolic functions of specific microbial taxa and can be used to assess environmental stressors and change and has potential for contributing to ocean ecology and biogeochemical studies. To enable future large-scale studies, a multi-laboratory intercomparison was conducted to assess comparability and reproducibility of taxonomic and functional results and their sensitivity to methodological variables. This ocean metaproteomic intercomparison consisted of two major activities: a laboratory component, where independent labs processed identical ocean samples simultaneously collected from the North Atlantic Ocean , and a subsequent informatic component.
Project description:Metaproteomics is an increasingly popular methodology that provides information regarding the metabolic functions of specific microbial taxa and can be used to assess environmental stressors and change and has potential for contributing to ocean ecology and biogeochemical studies. To enable future large-scale studies, a multi-laboratory intercomparison was conducted to assess comparability and reproducibility of taxonomic and functional results and their sensitivity to methodological variables. This ocean metaproteomic intercomparison consisted of two major activities: a laboratory component, where independent labs processed identical ocean samples simultaneously collected from the North Atlantic Ocean , and a subsequent informatic component.
Project description:Fucoxanthin (FX) and Eckol (EC) are the bioactive components extracted from the brown algae. Metastatic lung cancer is a malignant disease which threatens human health. We investigated the anti-metastatic effects of FX and EC on lung cancer.