Marine Host-Pathogen Dynamics: Influences of Global Climate Change

Cohen, Rebecca; James, Chase C.; Lee, Allison; Martinelli, Maurizio; Muraoka, Wendy; Ortega, Mikayia; Sadowski, Rachel; Starkey, Lark; Szesciorka, Angela R.; Timko, Sonya; Weiss, Elliot L.; Franks, Peter J.

doi:10.5670/oceanog.2018.201

Cited by 46 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…This has resulted in them being classed as threatened (US Endangered Species Act; ESA), and critically endangered (IUCN). The primary cause of this decline is disease [2][3][4] and this is particularly worrying for these species as climate change and anthropogenic stressors are now being implicated in increasing disease prevalence, frequency, and severity [5][6][7][8][9][10]. While these two species are now being heavily used in restoration activities in the Caribbean, their disease susceptibility requires a more thorough understanding of the disease dynamics within the remnant populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innate immune gene expression in Acropora palmata is consistent despite variance in yearly disease events

et al. 2020

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Coral disease outbreaks are expected to increase in prevalence, frequency and severity due to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. This is especially worrying for the Caribbean branching coral Acropora palmata which has already seen an 80% decrease in cover primarily due to disease. Despite the importance of this keystone species, there has yet to be a characterization of its transcriptomic response to disease exposure. In this study we provide the first transcriptomic analysis of 12 A. palmata genotypes and their symbiont Symbiodiniaceae exposed to disease in 2016 and 2017. Year was the primary driver of gene expression variance for A. palmata and the Symbiodiniaceae. We hypothesize that lower expression of ribosomal genes in the coral, and higher expression of transmembrane ion transport genes in the Symbiodiniaceae indicate that a compensation or dysbiosis may be occurring between host and symbiont. Disease response was the second driver of gene expression variance for A. palmata and included a core set of 422 genes that were significantly differentially expressed. Of these, 2 genes (a predicted cyclin-dependent kinase 11b and aspartate 1-decarboxylase) showed negative Log2 fold changes in corals showing transmission of disease, and positive Log2 fold changes in corals showing no transmission of disease, indicating that these may be important in disease resistance. Co-expression analysis identified two modules positively correlated to disease exposure, one enriched for lipid biosynthesis genes, and the other enriched in innate immune genes. The hub gene in the immune module was identified as D-amino acid oxidase, a gene implicated in phagocytosis and microbiome homeostasis. The role of D-amino acid oxidase in coral immunity has not been characterized but could be an important enzyme for responding to disease. Our results indicate that A. palmata mounts a core immune response to disease exposure despite differences in the disease type and virulence between 2016 and 2017. These identified genes may be important for future biomarker development in this Caribbean keystone species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innate immune gene expression in Acropora palmata is consistent despite variance in yearly disease events

et al. 2020

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“…Marine disease outbreaks caused by opportunistic pathogens are increasing in frequency and severity worldwide and there is a growing body of evidence that points to links with climatic change (Harvell et al 1999;Hayes et al 2001;Burge et al 2014;Cohen et al 2018). Thermal stress may reduce the resistance of animals and plants to microrganisms (virus, bacteria, protozoans, fungi) that otherwise would have remained non virulent (Cerrano & Bavestrello 2009a).…”

Section: Diseases and Other Dysfunctionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of the marine climate and ecosystem shift of the 1980-90s on the Ligurian Sea biodiversity (NW Mediterranean)

Bianchi

Azzola

Bertolino

et al. 2019

The European Zoological Journal

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A rapid temperature increase in the 1980-90s has been accompanied by dramatic and unprecedented changes in the biota and communities of the Ligurian Sea. This review uses existing historical series (a few of which have been purposely updated) to assess extent and consequences of such changes. A number of warm-water species, previously absent or occasional in the comparatively cold Ligurian Sea, has recently established thanks to warmer winters. Occurrence among them of invasive alien species is causing concern because of their capacity of outcompeting autochthonous species. Summer heatwaves, on the other hand, caused mass mortalities in marine organisms, some of which found refuge at depth. New marine diseases appeared, as well as other dysfunctions such as the formation of mucilage aggregates that suffocated and entangled benthic organisms. Human pressures have combined with climate change to cause phase shifts (i.e., abrupt variations in species composition and community structure) in different habitats, such as the pelagic environment, seagrass meadows, rocky reefs, and marine caves. These phase shifts implied biotic homogenization, reduction of diversity, and dominance by invasive aliens, and may be detrimental to the resilience of Ligurian Sea ecosystems. Another phase of rapid warming has possibly started in the 2010s and there are clues pointing to a further series of biological changes, but data are too scarce to date for proper assessment. Only well addressed long-term studies will help understanding the future dynamics of Ligurian Sea ecosystems and their possibilities of recovery.

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“…Marine pathogens can have profound impacts on their hosts, with disease outbreaks leading to sudden population declines in many taxonomic groups [1][2][3][4]. One such example is seagrass wasting disease (SWD), which involves complex relationships among marine vascular plants, environmental parameters, and protistan stramenopiles of the family Labyrinthulaceae [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, parasitic varieties can vary in their host-specificity, pathogenicity, and virulence [5,11], though the specific mechanisms underpinning natural disease events remain elusive. A growing body of research points to links between climatic changes and an increase in transmission, host susceptibility, and frequency of marine diseases [1,[3][4]. However, a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions in the marine environment, the induced responses mediating them, and the role of the environment in altering their outcome should aid in understanding outbreak dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating host immune status, Labyrinthula spp. load and environmental stress in a seagrass pathosystem: Assessing immune markers and scope of a new qPCR primer set

et al. 2020

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Recent trends suggest that marine disease outbreaks caused by opportunistic pathogens are increasing in frequency and severity. One such malady is seagrass wasting disease, caused by pathogens in the genus Labyrinthula. It is suspected that pathogenicity is intimately linked to the ability of the host to initiate defense responses; however, supportive evidence is lacking. To address this, we developed two techniques, including 1) a new qPCRbased pathogen detection method, and 2) an immune profiling panel via four host-biomarker assays (measuring peroxidase, exochitinase, polyphenol oxidase, and lysozyme activities). These techniques were then used to experimentally investigate the impact of environmental stressors (namely, elevated temperature and salinity) on host immunity and how immune status might affect susceptibility to Labyrinthula infection. In the first experiment, we subjected individual turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) shoots to short-term (7 d) abiotic stressors alone. In a second experiment, the same abiotic stressor conditions were followed by pathogen exposure (7 additional d), simulating a scenario where we attempt to isolate the impact of environmental stressors on the host seagrass species by removing the stressor as the pathogen is introduced. The qPCR assay successfully quantified the abundance of Labyrinthula spp. cells from both pure cultures and seagrass tissues across a broad range of predominately pathogenic strains, with high sensitivity. Immune enzyme assays revealed that all four biomarkers were constitutively active in turtlegrass individuals, but specific activities were largely unaffected by the chosen abiotic stressor conditions. We also identified positive correlations between pathogen load and two biomarkers (peroxidase, exochitinase), regardless of abiotic stress treatment, further demonstrating the potential utility of these biomarkers in future applications. OPEN ACCESSCitation: Duffin P, Martin DL, Pagenkopp Lohan KM, Ross C (2020) Integrating host immune status, Labyrinthula spp. load and environmental stress in a seagrass pathosystem: Assessing immune markers and scope of a new qPCR primer set. PLoS ONE 15(3): e0230108. https://doi.org/ 10.

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Marine Host-Pathogen Dynamics: Influences of Global Climate Change

Abstract: We thank two anonymous reviewers and Shang-Ping Xie for very helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

Cited by 46 publications

References 65 publications

Innate immune gene expression in Acropora palmata is consistent despite variance in yearly disease events

Innate immune gene expression in Acropora palmata is consistent despite variance in yearly disease events

Consequences of the marine climate and ecosystem shift of the 1980-90s on the Ligurian Sea biodiversity (NW Mediterranean)

Integrating host immune status, Labyrinthula spp. load and environmental stress in a seagrass pathosystem: Assessing immune markers and scope of a new qPCR primer set

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