Characterization of the microbiome and immune response in corals with chronic<i>Montipora</i>white syndrome

Brown, Tanya; Sonett, Dylan; Zaneveld, Jesse; Padilla‐Gamiño, Jacqueline L.

doi:10.1111/mec.15899

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Total was extracted from the same subset of ash frozen coral fragments selected for the proteomic study (n = 12) using the Qiagen DNA extraction kit. Library prep and sequencing was performed by Mr. DNA following details outlined in Brown et al 109 . Brie y, 16S rRNA amplicons were ampli ed using Caporaso et al 110 515f (5′-GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA-3′) 806r (5′-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3′) primers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in a time of stress: revealing the molecular underpinnings of coral survival following thermal bleaching events

Nunn,

Brown,

Timmins-Schiffman

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Coral bleaching events from thermal stress are increasing globally in duration, frequency, and intensity. Bleaching occurs when a coral’s algal symbionts are expelled, resulting in a loss of color. While bleaching can result in mortality, some corals survive, reacquire their symbionts, and recover. In this study, we experimentally bleached Montipora capitata to examine molecular and physiological signatures of intrinsic differences between corals that recover (resilient) compared to those that die (susceptible). All corals were collected from the same bay and monitored for eight months post-bleaching to identify genets exhibiting long-term resilience and survival. Using an integrated systems-biology approach that included quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics, 16S rRNA of the microbiome, total lipids, symbiont community composition and density, we explored molecular-level mechanisms of tolerance in experimental corals pre- and post-bleaching and identified predictive biomarkers of resilience that distinguish resilient and susceptible corals before thermal-induced bleaching events. Prior to thermal stress, resilient corals were characterized by a more diverse microbiome and increased abundances of proteins essential for carbon and nitrogen acquisition strategies, symbiont retention and acquisition, and pathogen resistance. Susceptible corals had early signs of symbiont rejection and had resorted to using urea uptake pathways for carbon and nitrogen. Further, proteins identified prior to bleaching were amplified after bleaching, suggesting these pathways may be deterministic of a coral’s fate when thermally bleached. Our results have important implications for the future of reefs, revealing molecular factors necessary for surviving thermally-induced bleaching events and identifying promising diagnostic biomarker candidates for coral reef management and restoration applications.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in a time of stress: revealing the molecular underpinnings of coral survival following thermal bleaching events

Nunn,

Brown,

Timmins-Schiffman

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Within coral populations, there is evidence that variation in immune activity between coral fragments correlates with their microbiome structure. For example, in Montipora capitata, increases in phenoloxidase activity correlated with decreased microbiome richness 51 . If such correlations extended across species, it could begin to explain why coral microbiomes differ so greatly in bacterial and archaeal biodiversity.…”

Section: Coral Innate Immune Systems May Be Filtering Microbiome Memb...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomically-specific coupling between innate immune gene repertoire and microbiome structure during coral evolution

Brown

Sonett

McMinds

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Tropical reef-building corals exist in intimate symbiosis with diverse microbes and viruses. Coral microbiomes are generally much less diverse than their environment, but across studied corals, the biodiversity of these microbiomes varies greatly. It has previously been hypothesized that differences in coral innate immunity in general, and the copy number of TIR-domain containing innate immune genes in particular, may drive interspecific differences in microbiome structure. Despite many existing studies of coral microbiomes, this hypothesis has previously been difficult to test due to a lack of consistently collected cross-species data on coral microbiomes. In this manuscript, we reannotate TIR-domain containing genes across diverse coral genomes, and use phylogenetic comparative methods to compare these innate immune gene copy numbers against 16S rRNA marker gene data on coral mucus, tissue, and skeleton microbiomes from the Global Coral Microbiome Project (GCMP). The copy number of Toll-like receptor (TLRs) and Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1Rs) gene families, as well as the total genomic count of their constituent domains (LRR and TIR domains; and Ig and TIR domains, respectively), explained most interspecific differences in microbiome richness and beta-diversity among corals with sequenced genomes. We find that these correlations are also anatomically specific, with an especially strong correlation between IL-1R gene copy numbers and microbiome richness in the coral's endolithic skeleton. Together, these results suggest innate immunity may play a key role in sculpting microbiome structure in corals.

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“…Although the diversity of species on Hawaiian reefs is relatively low, there is still great value in developing a single coral model system for both laboratory and field studies. Of the different Hawaiian coral species, the hermaphroditic, broadcast spawning rice coral, M. capitata , has emerged as a highly promising model for studying coral genomics, genetics, evolution, and disease (Cleves et al 2020 a , b ; Van Etten et al 2020; Brown et al 2021). This conclusion is based on several key traits that, in combination, support the importance of this coral model: M. capitata is widely distributed in both shallow and deep waters off the Hawaiian Islands (e.g., Fig.…”

Section: Capitata As a Model Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life on the edge: Hawaiian model for coral evolution

Bhattacharya

Stephens

Tinoco

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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Degradation and loss of coral reefs due to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors has fueled genomics, proteomics, and genetics research to investigate coral stress response pathways and to identify resilient species, genotypes, and populations to restore these biodiverse ecosystems. Much of the research and conservation effort has understandably focused on the most taxonomically rich regions, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Coral Triangle in the western Pacific. These ecosystems are analogous to tropical rainforests that also house enormous biodiversity and complex biotic interactions among different trophic levels. An alternative model ecosystem for studying coral reef biology is the relatively species poor but abundant coral reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago that exist at the northern edge of the Indo-Pacific coral distribution. The Hawaiian Islands are the world's most isolated archipelago, geographically isolated from other Pacific reef systems. This region houses about 80 species of scleractinian corals in three dominant genera (Porites, Montipora, and Pocillopora). Here we briefly review knowledge about the Hawaiian coral fauna with a focus on our model species, the rice coral Montipora capitata. We suggest that this simpler, relatively isolated reef system provides an ideal platform for advancing coral biology and conservation using multi-omics and genetic tools.

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Characterization of the microbiome and immune response in corals with chronicMontiporawhite syndrome

Cited by 8 publications

References 114 publications

Resilience in a time of stress: revealing the molecular underpinnings of coral survival following thermal bleaching events

Resilience in a time of stress: revealing the molecular underpinnings of coral survival following thermal bleaching events

Anatomically-specific coupling between innate immune gene repertoire and microbiome structure during coral evolution

Life on the edge: Hawaiian model for coral evolution

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