ABSTRACT: Comparison of gene expression in reproductively healthy (offshore) versus reproductively impaired (nearshore) female queen conchs (Strombus gigas) in the Florida Keys.
Project description:Reproduction of queen conchs at nearshore sites in the Florida Keys is known to be impaired (Delgado et al. 2004). A recent microarray study of male queen conchs collected from the Florida Keys during the early part of the reproductive season (February, 2007) indicated that NS conchs show differences in expression of spermatogenesis-related and small GTPase signaling transcripts (Spade et al. 2010). The current study investigates gene expression in the ovary of female queen conchs from the same sampling effort in February, 2007. One-color (Cy3) oligonucleotide array experiment. Each array sample is an individual biological replicate. The study includes four biological replicates offshore and three biological replicate nearshore. Offshore conchs exhibit normal reproduction, and so were considered the reference group in the analysis.
Project description:Reproduction of queen conchs at nearshore sites in the Florida Keys is known to be impaired (Delgado et al. 2004). A recent microarray study of male queen conchs collected from the Florida Keys during the early part of the reproductive season (February, 2007) indicated that NS conchs show differences in expression of spermatogenesis-related and small GTPase signaling transcripts (Spade et al. 2010). The current study investigates gene expression in the digestive gland, which is closely associated with ovary, of female queen conchs from the same sampling effort in February, 2007. One-color (Cy3) oligonucleotide array experiment. Each array sample is an individual biological replicate. The study includes four biological replicates offshore and three biological and one technical replicate nearshore. Offshore conchs exhibit normal reproduction, and so were considered the reference group in the analysis.
Project description:Reproduction of queen conchs at nearshore sites in the Florida Keys is known to be impaired (Delgado et al. 2004). A recent microarray study of male queen conchs collected from the Florida Keys during the early part of the reproductive season (February, 2007) indicated that NS conchs show differences in expression of spermatogenesis-related and small GTPase signaling transcripts (Spade et al. 2010). The current study investigates gene expression in the ovary of female queen conchs from the same sampling effort in February, 2007.
Project description:Reproduction of queen conchs at nearshore sites in the Florida Keys is known to be impaired (Delgado et al. 2004). A recent microarray study of male queen conchs collected from the Florida Keys during the early part of the reproductive season (February, 2007) indicated that NS conchs show differences in expression of spermatogenesis-related and small GTPase signaling transcripts (Spade et al. 2010). The current study investigates gene expression in the digestive gland, which is closely associated with ovary, of female queen conchs from the same sampling effort in February, 2007.
Project description:This study compares gene expression in the testis of three offshore (Pelican Shoal) and three near-shore (Tingler Island) adult male queen conchs (Strombus gigas) collected from the wild on February 15, 2007.
Project description:Corals in nearshore marine environments are increasingly exposed to reduced water quality, which is the major local threat to coral reefs in Hawaii. Corals surviving in such conditions may have adapted to withstand sedimentation, pollutants, and other environmental stressors. Lobe coral (Porites lobata) populations from Maunalua Bay, Hawaii showed clear genetic differentiation along with distinct cellular protein expressions between the 'polluted, high-stress' nearshore site and the 'low-stress' offshore site. To understand the driving force of the observed genetic partitioning, reciprocal transplant and common-garden experiments were conducted using the nearshore and offshore colonies of P. lobata from Maunalua Bay to assess phenotypic differences between the two coral populations. Stress-related physiological and molecular responses were compared between the two populations. Proteomic responses highlighted the inherent differences in the cellular metabolic state and activities between the two populations under the same environmental conditions; nearshore corals did not significantly alter their proteome between the sites, while offshore corals responded to the nearshore transplantation with increased abundances of proteins associated with detoxification, antioxidant, and various metabolic processes. The response differences across multiple phenotypes suggest that the observed genetic partitioning was likely due to local adaptation.
Project description:We subjected three inshore and four offshore genotypes of the coral Orbicella faveolata to 30, 31, 32, or 33ºC for 31 days and measured photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), the types and relative abundance of dinoflagellate endosymbionts, and gene expression of the host and symbiont. All inshore coral genotypes, regardless of symbiont type, were significantly more thermotolerant than offshore genotypes based on declines in Fv/Fm. The most heat-tolerant inshore genotype (In1) was dominated by Durusdinium trenchii; all other genotypes were Breviolum-dominated, suggesting local adaptation or acclimatization contributes to the heat tolerance of inshore genotypes. After 31 days of heat stress, all coral genotypes (except In2) had lost most of their Breviolum and became dominated by D. trenchii. Host genotype In1 presented unique expression patterns of genes involved in heat shock response, immunity, and protein degradation. There were few changes in the symbiont transcriptomes of inshore corals under heat stress, but significant changes in symbiont gene expression from the offshore colonies, including increases in ribosomal and photosynthetic proteins. These data show that the differential thermotolerance between inshore and offshore O. faveolata in the Florida Keys is associated with statistically significant differences in both host and symbiont gene expression that provide insights into the mechanisms underlying holobiont heat tolerance.