Abstract
Although most reef-building corals live near the upper threshold of their thermotolerance, some scleractinians are resilient to temperature increases. For instance, Pocillopora acuta specimens from an upwelling habitat in Southern Taiwan survived a nine-month experimental exposure to 30°C, a temperature hypothesized to induce stress. To gain a greater understanding of the molecular pathways underlying such high-temperature acclimation, the protein profiles of experimental controls incubated at 27°C were compared to those of conspecific P. acuta specimens exposed to 30°C for two, four, or eight weeks, and differentially concentrated proteins (DCPs) were removed from the gels and sequenced with mass spectrometry. Sixty unique DCPs were uncovered across both eukaryotic compartments of the P. acuta-dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) mutualism, and Symbiodinium were more responsive to high temperature at the protein-level than the coral hosts in which they resided at the two-week sampling time. Furthermore, proteins involved in the stress response were more likely to be documented at different cellular concentrations across temperature treatments in Symbiodinium, whereas the temperature-sensitive host coral proteome featured numerous proteins involved in cytoskeletal structure, immunity, and metabolism. These proteome-scale data suggest that the coral host and its intracellular dinoflagellates have differing strategies for acclimating to elevated temperatures.
Highlights
Given the significant anthropogenic pressures currently placed upon coral reef ecosystems [1], there is an urgent need to understand how corals will respond to the elevated temperatures that will characterize their habitats in the coming years [2,3]
Corals acclimated to the elevated temperature regime; the gastrodermal tissue layer became thicker in response to a long-term (36-week) exposure to 30 ̊C [9], and Symbiodinium ubiquitin ligase mRNA expression increased dramatically upon a 2-week exposure to this temperature [29]
Summaries of the 2D+MS analysis and sequenced peptides for all three sampling times can be found in Tables 1 and 2, respectively, and detailed information on the differentially concentrated proteins (DCPs) uncovered at the two, four, and eight-week sampling times can be found in the S1 Table, S2 Table and S3 Table, respectively; the respective peptide sequences and associated cellular pathways are located in the S4 Table, S5 Table and S6 Table, respectively
Summary
Given the significant anthropogenic pressures currently placed upon coral reef ecosystems [1], there is an urgent need to understand how corals will respond to the elevated temperatures that will characterize their habitats in the coming years [2,3]. Corals tend to exist at the upper threshold of their thermotolerance [4], some can tolerate dramatic fluctuations [5,6] and increases [7] in temperature. Reef coral proteomics collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
