Project description:Reef-building corals live in a mutualistic relationship with photosynthetic algae (family Symbiodiniaceae) that usually provide the bulk of the energy required by the coral host. This relationship is very sensitive to temperature stress, with as little as 1°C increase above mean in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) often leading to the collapse of the association. The meta-stability of these associations has led to interest in the potential of more stress tolerant algae to supplement or substitute for the normal Symbiodiniaceae mutualists. In this respect, the apicomplexan-like microalga Chromera is of particular interest as it is considerably more temperature tolerant than are most members of the Symbiodiniaceae. Here we generated a de novo transcriptome for a Chromera strain isolated from a GBR coral (“GBR Chromera”) and compared to those of the reference strain of Chromera (“Sydney Chromera”), and to those of Symbiodiniaceae algae (Fugacium, Cladocopium and Breviolum), as well as the apicomplexan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. By contrast with the Symbiodiniaceae, the two Chromera strains had a high level of sequence similarity evident by very low levels of divergence in orthologous genes. Although surveys of specific KEGG categories provided few general criteria by which true coral mutualists might be identified, they provide a molecular rationalization for the near ubiquitous association of Cladocopium strains with Indo-Pacific reef corals in general and with Acropora spp. in particular. In addition, HSP20 genes may underlie the higher thermal tolerance shown by Chromera compared to Symbiodiniaceae
Project description:This experiment assessed the natural gene expression variation present between colonies of the Indo-Pacific reef-building coral Acropora millepora, and additionally explored whether gene expression differed between two different intron haplotypes according to intron 4-500 in a carbonic anhydrase homolog. This study found no correspondence between host genotype and transcriptional state, but found significant intercolony variation, detecting 488 representing unique genes or 17% of the total genes analyzed. Such transcriptomic variation could be the basis upon which natural selection can act. Underlying variation could potentially allow reef corals to respond to different environments. Whether this source of variation and the genetic responses of corals and its symbionts will allow coral reefs to cope to the rapid pace of global change remains unknown.
2013-04-08 | GSE42684 | GEO
Project description:Structure and composition of Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities associated with common Indo-Pacific corals in the Gulf of Thailand
Project description:The Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COTS), Acanthaster planci, is a highly fecund predator of reef-building corals distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific. COTS population outbreaks cause substantial loss of coral cover, diminishing the integrity and resilience of the reef ecosystems thus increasing their susceptibility to climate change. We sequenced genomes of A. planci from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia (GBR) and Okinawa, Japan (OKI) to guide identification of species-specific peptide communication with potential applications in mitigation strategies. The genome-encoded proteins excreted and secreted into the surrounding seawater by COTS forming aggregations and by those escaping the predatory giant triton snail, Charonia tritonis, were identified LC-MS/MS.
Project description:This experiment assessed the natural gene expression variation present between colonies of the Indo-Pacific reef-building coral Acropora millepora, and additionally explored whether gene expression differed between two different intron haplotypes according to intron 4-500 in a carbonic anhydrase homolog. This study found no correspondence between host genotype and transcriptional state, but found significant intercolony variation, detecting 488 representing unique genes or 17% of the total genes analyzed. Such transcriptomic variation could be the basis upon which natural selection can act. Underlying variation could potentially allow reef corals to respond to different environments. Whether this source of variation and the genetic responses of corals and its symbionts will allow coral reefs to cope to the rapid pace of global change remains unknown. A. millepora colonies were brought to a common garden in the reef lagoon, i.e. under the same environmental conditions. This common garden combined with acclimatization removes environmental effects on the physiology of the coral colonies. For the comparison of the two intron haplotypes, we applied a multiple dye-swap microarray design for the two groups of coral colonies (N=3 per group) defined based on the two genotypes resolved with the use of intron 4-500 (Fig. 1). To also examine the intra-haplotype variation we added a loop design nested to the above multiple dye-swap design, where three samples per colony were included. Colonies 1, 2, and 3 are of intron 4-500 haplotype 1; colonies 4, 5, and 6 are haplotype 2.