24.12.2012 Views

11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

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

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!