Abstract
Climate change-induced increases in seawater temperature continue to impact coral reef ecosystems globally. There is a consequent need to characterize the responses of corals to thermal stress to understand the molecular processes underpinning these responses and identify hallmarks of resilience. Here we used an iTRAQ approach to compare the proteomes of adult corals (Pocillopora acuta) that had been thermally conditioned at a control (26°C) or elevated temperature (29.5°C) for three reproductive cycles, as well as the larvae released by these corals. We found that larvae responded more to high-temperature exposure at the protein level than their parents and that different proteins were affected between life stages; a single protein was up-regulated at high temperatures in both adults and their offspring, and its identity is currently unknown. Similarly, different cellular pathways were affected by high-temperature exposure between the coral hosts and their dinoflagellate endosymbionts; proteins involved in translation and protein trafficking were most likely to be affected by high-temperature exposure in the former, with photosynthesis being the most thermo-sensitive process in the latter. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of considering both life stage and the composition of the coral holobiont when using molecular-scale data to model cellular processes associated with responses to future ocean warming.
Highlights
Coral reefs are threatened globally by the rising seawater temperatures associated with climate change (Hoegh-Guldberg et al, 2017) yet some coral populations have demonstrated a remarkable degree of thermal resilience [e.g., corals from thermally variable reefs: Barshis et al (2013) and Safaie et al (2018); but see Klepac and Barshis (2020)]
We sought to explore the proteomic effects of thermal conditioning using colonies of the brooding coral Pocillopora acuta that had been exposed to either control (26◦C) or experimentally elevated temperatures (29.5◦C) for three reproductive cycles
The unique thermal characteristics of this region have been linked to higher associations with thermally tolerant Symbiodiniaceae lineages at Outlet reef (Carballo-Bolaños et al, 2019; Keshavmurthy et al, 2014), and molecular mechanisms of thermal acclimation have been documented in adult corals (Mayfield et al, 2012, 2013) in Nanwan Bay
Summary
Coral reefs are threatened globally by the rising seawater temperatures associated with climate change (Hoegh-Guldberg et al, 2017) yet some coral populations have demonstrated a remarkable degree of thermal resilience [e.g., corals from thermally variable reefs: Barshis et al (2013) and Safaie et al (2018); but see Klepac and Barshis (2020)]. Plasticity in coral response to elevated temperatures has led to the exploration of techniques targeting the active enhancement of coral thermal tolerance (e.g., assisted evolution; van Oppen et al, 2015). Since initial inquiry into the capacity of transgenerational acclimation in corals (Putnam and Gates, 2015), several studies have examined the effects of adult conditioning (temperature and/or pCO2) on offspring performance. We sought to explore the proteomic effects of thermal conditioning using colonies of the brooding coral Pocillopora acuta that had been exposed to either control (26◦C) or experimentally elevated temperatures (29.5◦C) for three reproductive cycles. We employed a quantitative proteomics approach known as “isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification” (iTRAQ; SCIEX) to assess cellular strategies for responding to high temperature by directly targeting the molecules that enact physiological changes in coral and Symbiodiniaceae cells
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
