Variation in the transcriptional response of threatened coral larvae to elevated temperatures

Coral populations have declined worldwide largely due to increased sea surface temperatures. Recovery of coral populations depends in part upon larval recruitment. Many corals reproduce during the warmest time of year when further increases in temperature can lead to low fertilization rates of eggs and high larval mortality. Microarray experiments were designed to capture and assess variability in the thermal stress responses of Acropora palmata larvae from Puerto Rico. Transcription profiles showed a striking acceleration of normal developmental gene expression patterns with increased temperature. The transcriptional response to heat suggested rapid depletion of larval energy stores via peroxisomal lipid oxidation and included key enzymes that indicated the activation of the glyoxylate cycle. High temperature also resulted in expression differences in key developmental signalling genes including the conserved WNT pathway that is critical for pattern formation and tissue differentiation...

全球珊瑚种群数量大幅缩减，核心诱因为海水表层温度升高。珊瑚种群的恢复在一定程度上依赖于幼体补充（larval recruitment）。多数珊瑚于一年中温度最高的时段进行繁殖，此时若温度进一步升高，将导致卵子受精率降低与幼体死亡率攀升。本研究设计基因芯片（microarray）实验，旨在捕捉并评估来自波多黎各的棕榈轴孔珊瑚（Acropora palmata）幼体的热应激响应差异。转录表达谱（transcription profiles）分析结果显示，随着温度升高，幼体正常发育相关基因的表达模式出现显著加速。珊瑚幼体的热应激转录响应表明，其能量储备通过过氧化物酶体脂质氧化途径被快速消耗，且该响应包含了指示乙醛酸循环（glyoxylate cycle）激活的关键酶编码基因。高温还会引发关键发育信号通路基因的表达差异，其中包括对模式形成与组织分化至关重要的保守WNT信号通路（WNT pathway）……