Seasonal tissue-specific gene expression in wild crown-of-thorns starfish reveals reproductive and stress-related transcriptional systems.

ABSTRACT: Animals are influenced by the season, yet we know little about the changes that occur in most species throughout the year. This is particularly true in tropical marine animals that experience relatively small annual temperature and daylight changes. Like many coral reef inhabitants, the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), well known as a notorious consumer of corals and destroyer of coral reefs, reproduces exclusively in the summer. By comparing gene expression in 7 somatic tissues procured from wild COTS sampled on the Great Barrier Reef, we identified more than 2,000 protein-coding genes that change significantly between summer and winter. COTS genes that appear to mediate conspecific communication, including both signalling factors released into the surrounding sea water and cell surface r

SUBMITTER: Morin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11093393 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature