Cladopsammia gracilis Raw sequence reads

This study investigates the transcriptomic responses of the azooxanthellate coral Cladopsammia gracilis to heat stress using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Coral colonies were collected from the Luhuitou Fringing Reef, Sanya Bay, China, and subjected to a 15-day thermal stress experiment. The study includes two experimental conditions: a control group maintained at 26 degrees C and a heat stress group where the temperature was gradually increased from 26 degrees C to 33 degrees C. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on replicates from both conditions to examine how individual cell types in the coral polyps respond at the molecular level to thermal stress. The goal of this research is to uncover conserved and divergent cellular responses that could provide insights into the mechanisms of coral stress tolerance, which are crucial for understanding coral resilience in the face of climate change. By comparing gene expression profiles between control and heat-stressed polyps, this study aims to identify key genes and pathways involved in coral adaptation to changing temperatures.