11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
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Oral Mini-Symposium 6: Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics of Coral Reef Organisms<br />
6-26<br />
Exploring Symbiotic Interactions in the Sea Anemone-Zooxanthellae Model by<br />
Large-Scale ESTs Analysis<br />
Philippe GANOT 1 , Aurelie MOYA* 1 , Emeline DELEURY 2 , Denis ALLEMAND 3 ,<br />
Paola FURLA 1 , Cecile SABOURAULT 1<br />
1 ECOMERS, Nice Sophia Antipolis <strong>University</strong>, Nice cedex2, France, Metropolitan,<br />
2 UMR 1112 ROSE, INRA, Sophia Antipolis, France, Metropolitan, 3 Scientific Centre of<br />
Monaco, Monaco, Monaco<br />
To characterize genes involved in the symbiotic association between the cnidarian sea<br />
anemone Anemonia viridis and its dinoflagellate symbiont (zooxanthellae) Symbiodinium<br />
sp., a large EST collection was generated. A cDNA library was constructed from total<br />
mRNAs (cnidarian and zooxanthellae) isolated from symbiotic, aposymbiotic (bleached)<br />
and stressed (temperature) animals. A total of 39,939 ESTs compiled in 4,614 contigs and<br />
10,976 singletons sequences were analyzed. Comparison to the genomic Nematostella<br />
vectensis database and to all other annotated expressed sequences (UniProt) indicates that<br />
our A. viridis dataset comprises sequences related to metazoan, protists and prokaryotes,<br />
respectively 51%, 8% and 3.9%, as well as 35.1% without known homology to any<br />
sequences. Interestingly, long 3’ UTR often containing a miniature non-autonomous<br />
transposon element (MITE related) are overrepresented in our Anemonia–assigned<br />
sequences. A subset of 2,000 genes, potentially involved in symbiosis (heterotrophic<br />
metabolism, transporter, cell cycle control …), were used to design a 60 mer<br />
oligonucleotides dedicated microchip. Comparative gene expression through microarrays<br />
analysis between symbiotic, aposymbiotic and stressed animals are currently underway.<br />
6-27<br />
Genomic Insight Into Drupella Sp.: Establishment And Analysis Of An Est<br />
Database<br />
Bishoy HANNA* 1 , Felipe CHAMBERGO 2 , Hamza EL DORRY 1 , Moshira HASSAN 1 , I<br />
CHAMBERGO 2 , Amira MAHMOUD 1<br />
1 American <strong>University</strong> in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt, 2 <strong>University</strong> of São Paulo, Sao Paulo,<br />
Brazil<br />
The corallivorous gastropod Drupella sp. has caused considerable damage to a number of<br />
coral reefs in the Red Sea over the last years. These outbreaks have been linked to other<br />
diseases, but the underlying cause is still unclear.<br />
In this work, we establish an insight into the genome of Drupella sp. using an EST<br />
library.<br />
Surveys were conducted on a heavily infested reef in the northern Gulf of Suez, Red Sea.<br />
The total RNA was isolated from a whole organism, which was collected from a colony<br />
of Stylophora pistillata. A cDNA library was constructed and 9408 random clones were<br />
sequenced. Computational analysis resulted in a total of 3353 sequences of which 2109<br />
received no significant BLASTX match while the other 1244 sequences were further<br />
classified according to the Gene Ontology classification. The resulting classification<br />
covered most physiological activities carried by the organism. The sequences revealed a<br />
group of retrotransposons that were expressed at the time of collection. In addition to<br />
neurotoxins and other toxin genes that were expressed, several proteins were found that<br />
are expressed as responses to oxidative stress, hypoxia, viruses, and bacterial infections.<br />
Some of ESTs found are most likely of non-mollusk origin resembling symbionts and<br />
parasites that are part of the organism and the reef community. A website was<br />
constructed to cater for the data generated, with a BLAST search interface. The isolated<br />
genes can be investigated as potential biomarkers for water contamination and in order to<br />
understand the conditions leading to Drupella sp. outbreaks. The retrotransposons found<br />
can be compared spatially to establish population barriers. These results will also be used<br />
to find useful genes to study population genetics of this organism at different temporal<br />
and spatial scales.<br />
6-28<br />
Do Corals Possess The Protective Mucus Encoding Muc Genes?<br />
Amita JATKAR* 1 , John BYTHELL 2 , Barbara BROWN 1 , Jeff PEARSON 3 , Nick MORRIS 4 ,<br />
Reia GUPPY 1<br />
1 Division of Biology, Newcastle <strong>University</strong>, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 2 Division<br />
of Biology, Newcastle <strong>University</strong>, Newcastle upon tyne, United Kingdom, 3 Institute for Cell<br />
and Molecular Biosciences, Medical School, Newcastle <strong>University</strong>, Newcastle upon Tyne,<br />
United Kingdom, 4 School of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School, Newcastle <strong>University</strong>,<br />
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom<br />
Mucus functions as first line of defence against infections, amongst other roles. The protective<br />
role of mucus depends upon gel-forming properties of mucin molecules that are encoded by the<br />
MUC genes. Although the presence of MUC genes has been detected in several vertebrate<br />
groups, mucus or a mucus-like extra cellular matrix is believed to be secreted in all groups of<br />
animals. The human MUC gene family is comparatively well studied and expanding rapidly,<br />
with 19 MUC genes discovered so far. These MUC genes have been grouped into secretory and<br />
membrane-bound mucins. Failure of this protective barrier has been associated with changes in<br />
structure, function and physical properties of mucins. These changes have been demonstrated as<br />
a possible prognostic tool for early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, tumour and cystic<br />
fibrosis in humans. Earlier studies on coral mucus show an inconsistent chemical composition<br />
influenced by depth, aging and contamination from the environment. It is well established that<br />
coral surface mucus harbours a distinct microbial community that respond to changes in<br />
environmental factors. Study of mucus-microbial interactions is critical to understand<br />
phenomena such as bleaching and disease. Relatively little information is available regarding<br />
MUC gene structure and functions in corals. The present study examines the ways to detect<br />
coral MUC genes by tracing the evolution of MUC genes from cnidarians to mammals using<br />
bioinformatics and molecular tools. Using a range of bioinformatic techniques, six potential<br />
MUC-gene sequences have been recovered from the available coral databases. Three of these<br />
are from the hyper-variable tandem repeat (TR) domain or mucin domain and are highly likely<br />
to represent human MUC-gene homologues. This study will enhance the understanding of host<br />
responses and changes in defensive capabilities due to changing surrounding conditions.<br />
6-29<br />
New Applications For A Proven Tool: Metabolite Profiling And Chemometrics To<br />
Characterise Effects Of Turbidity And Sedimentation On The Coral Acropora Millepora<br />
Anke KLUETER* 1 , Jonathon L. NIELSON 1<br />
1 Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia<br />
With constantly increasing levels of land based activities within the GBR catchment there is an<br />
increasing need to innovate and explore new methodologies of monitoring reef health and water<br />
quality. Metabolomics, a growing research discipline in systems biology, allows us to look at a<br />
metabolic response of the cell and organism as a whole. Objects of study are primary and<br />
secondary metabolites, necessary for life and the intermediates and end products of cellular<br />
regulatory processes. The state of an organisms ‘metabolome’ at any point in time represents<br />
the interaction of the organism’s genome with its environment. By taking a ‘snapshot’ of the<br />
metabolic profile of an organism under various environmental stressors it is possible to identify<br />
metabolites involved in the organisms biochemical response to stress.<br />
We examined the stress response of Acropora millepora to changing water quality. Using a<br />
tank system with controlled environmental conditions, corals from inshore and mid-shelf<br />
locations were exposed to shaded and non-shaded conditions with and without suspended<br />
particulate matter (SPM). The coral’s metabolic response was investigated by preparing<br />
acetone/methanol extracts and acquiring Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra (HNMR)<br />
and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) data. Data were subjected to<br />
Principal Component Analysis. Significant clustering in relation to treatment was observed in<br />
the HNMR data sets. The first principal component was strongly correlated to presence or<br />
absence of SPM. Samples showed also a tendency to cluster according to exposure to light or<br />
shade. Analysis of LC-MS data showed the strongest correlation between the coral’s<br />
geographic origin. Here we identified four different metabolites between inshore and mid-shelf<br />
colonies.<br />
Our results demonstrate the prospective of metabolomics as a new monitoring technology to<br />
assess coral health.<br />
45