Project description:Transcriptomic data for 59 single embryos and larvae samples of the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica Transcriptomic data for 59 single embryos and larvae samples of the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica
Project description:Purpose: The goal of this study was to compare gene expression in whole embryos to identify transcriptomic changes that result from maternal exposure to predation risk. Methods: Whole embryo mRNA profiles of 3 day post-fertilizationstickleback embrosof mothers exposed to simulated predation risk and control embryos were generated by RNA-sequencing of pooled embryos using Illumina Hiseq2000. The sequence reads that passed quality filters were aligned to the stickleback reference genome and analyzed at the gene level (EdgeR) and at the transcript level (Cufflinks/Cuffdiff). Subsets of embryos were also measured for embryo length and eye diameter, and data were analyzed with a general linear model (SPSS). Results: We mapped ~22 million sequence reads per sample to the stickleback reference genome (BROADS1, Ensembl database version 71.1, Feb 2006) and identified 17440 transcripts with the Tophat workflow. Differential expression analysis using both EdgeR and Cufflinks/Cuffdiff identified 455 transcripts were differentially expressed in embryos of mothers exposed to simulated predation risk as compared to control embryos, with an FDR <0.05 (Cuffdiff) or <0.10 (EdgeR). Gene ontology and pathway analysis (DAVID, IPA) of the differentially expressed gene list revealed enrichment of genes involved in growth, metabolism, neurogenesis, and epigenetics. Embryos of mothers exposed to predation risk had elevated expression of growth and metabolism genes and were also larger than control embryos, suggesting at least some of the genes differentially expressed in this study are involved in the transfer of maternal experience to offspring. Conclusions: Our results suggest that early stickleback embryos respond to maternal exposure to predation risk via changes in gene expression, and a general acceleration of the developmental program. Further study is needed to elucidate the myriad molecular interactions between genes that are differentially-regulated as a result of maternal exposure to predation risk and to understand their relationships to previously-observed maternal effects in this system. Whole embryo mRNA profiles of 3dpf stickleback embryos of mothers exposed to simulated predation risk [E] and control mothers [C] were generated by barcoded, multiplexed high-throughput RNA-sequencing on Illumina Hiseq-2000.
Project description:We used a combination of morphological, behavioural, proteomic and transcriptomic data to show that venom and telopodal gland systems of Lithobius forficatus are serial homologues that were convergently weaponized to function in predation and defence.
Project description:Tropical lagoon-inhabiting organisms live in highly irradiated ecosystems and are particularly susceptible to thermal stress resulting from climate change. However, despite living close to their thermal maxima, stress response mechanisms found in these organisms are poorly understood. We used a novel physiological-proteomic approach for sponges to describe the stress response mechanisms of the lagoon-inhabiting sponge Amphimedon navalis, when exposed to elevated seawater temperatures of +2 oC and +4 oC relative to a 26 oC ambient temperature for four weeks. After four weeks of thermal exposure, the buoyant weight of the sponge experienced a significant decline, while its pumping rates and oxygen consumption rates significantly increased. Proteome dynamics revealed 50 differentially abundant proteins in sponges exposed to elevated temperature, suggesting that shifts in the sponge proteome were potential drivers of physiological dysfunction. Thermal stress promoted an increase in detoxification proteins, such as catalase and glutathione-S-transferase, suggesting that an excess of reactive oxygen species in sponge cells were likely responsible for the significant increase in oxygen consumption. Elevated temperature also disrupted cellular growth and cell proliferation, promoting the loss of sponge biomass, and the high abundance of multiple alpha-tubulin chain proteins also indicated an increase in cytoskeletal activities within sponge cells, which may have induced the increase in sponge pumping rate. Our results show that sustained thermal exposure in susceptible lagoonal sponges may induce significant disruption of cellular homeostasis leading to physiological dysfunction, and that a combined physiological-proteomic approach may provide new insights into physiological functions and cellular processes occurring in sponges.