Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Gene expression plasticity and frontloading promote thermotolerance in Pocillopora corals

K. Brener-Raffalli, J. Vidal-Dupiol, M. Adjeroud, O. Rey, P. Romans, F. Bonhomme, M. Pratlong, A. Haguenauer, R. Pillot, L. Feuillassier, M. Claereboudt, H. Magalon, P. Gélin, P. Pontarotti, D. Aurelle, G. Mitta, E. Toulza
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/398602
K. Brener-Raffalli
1IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
J. Vidal-Dupiol
2IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan via Domitia, Montpellier France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
M. Adjeroud
3Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL”, UPVD 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
O. Rey
1IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
P. Romans
4Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMS 2348, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Marines, Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
F. Bonhomme
5Université de Montpellier, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution, CNRS UMR 5554 IRD-EPHE, Sète, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
M. Pratlong
6Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, APHM, Microbe, Evolution, PHylogénie, Infection IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille France. Evolutionary Biology team
8Aix-Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
A. Haguenauer
8Aix-Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
R. Pillot
4Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMS 2348, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Marines, Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
L. Feuillassier
4Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMS 2348, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Marines, Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
M. Claereboudt
9Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khod, 123, Sultanate of Oman
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
H. Magalon
10UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (Université de La Réunion, IRD, CNRS), Laboratoire d’excellence“CORAIL”, Université de La Réunion, St Denis, La Réunion, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
P. Gélin
10UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (Université de La Réunion, IRD, CNRS), Laboratoire d’excellence“CORAIL”, Université de La Réunion, St Denis, La Réunion, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
P. Pontarotti
6Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, APHM, Microbe, Evolution, PHylogénie, Infection IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille France. Evolutionary Biology team
7CNRS
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
D. Aurelle
8Aix-Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
11Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Toulon CNRS, IRD, MIO, Marseille, France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
G. Mitta
1IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
E. Toulza
1IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan France
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: eve.toulza@univ-perp.fr
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Supplementary material
  • Data/Code
  • Preview PDF
Loading

ABSTRACT

Ecosystems worldwide are suffering from climate change. Coral reef ecosystems are globally threatened by increasing sea surface temperatures. However, gene expression plasticity provides the potential for organisms to respond rapidly and effectively to environmental changes, and would be favored in variable environments. In this study, we investigated the thermal stress response in Pocillopora coral colonies from two contrasting environments by exposing them to heat stress. We compared the physiological state, bacterial and Symbionaceae communities (using 16S and ITS2 metabarcoding), and gene expression levels (using RNA-Seq) between control conditions and heat stress (the temperature just below the first signs of compromised health). Colonies from both thermal regimes remained apparently normal and presented open and colored polyps during heat stress, with no change in bacterial and Symbionaceae community composition. In contrast, they differed in their transcriptomic responses. The colonies from Oman displayed a more plastic transcriptome, but some genes had a higher basal expression level (frontloading) compared to the less thermotolerant colonies from New Caledonia. In terms of biological functions, we observed an increase in the expression of stress response genes (including induction of tumor necrosis factor receptors, heat shock proteins, and detoxification of reactive oxygen species), together with a decrease in the expression of genes involved in morpho-anatomical functions. Gene regulation (transcription factors, mobile elements, histone modifications and DNA methylation) appeared to be overrepresented in the Oman colonies, indicating possible epigenetic regulation. These results show that transcriptomic plasticity and frontloading can be co-occurring processes in corals confronted to highly variable thermal regimes.

Footnotes

  • Text formatting, GPS coordinates for sampling and link for R scripts.

  • https://osf.io/s5y34

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted September 04, 2019.
Download PDF

Supplementary Material

Data/Code
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Gene expression plasticity and frontloading promote thermotolerance in Pocillopora corals
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Gene expression plasticity and frontloading promote thermotolerance in Pocillopora corals
K. Brener-Raffalli, J. Vidal-Dupiol, M. Adjeroud, O. Rey, P. Romans, F. Bonhomme, M. Pratlong, A. Haguenauer, R. Pillot, L. Feuillassier, M. Claereboudt, H. Magalon, P. Gélin, P. Pontarotti, D. Aurelle, G. Mitta, E. Toulza
bioRxiv 398602; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/398602
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Gene expression plasticity and frontloading promote thermotolerance in Pocillopora corals
K. Brener-Raffalli, J. Vidal-Dupiol, M. Adjeroud, O. Rey, P. Romans, F. Bonhomme, M. Pratlong, A. Haguenauer, R. Pillot, L. Feuillassier, M. Claereboudt, H. Magalon, P. Gélin, P. Pontarotti, D. Aurelle, G. Mitta, E. Toulza
bioRxiv 398602; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/398602

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Evolutionary Biology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (2414)
  • Biochemistry (4773)
  • Bioengineering (3319)
  • Bioinformatics (14626)
  • Biophysics (6616)
  • Cancer Biology (5156)
  • Cell Biology (7402)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (4340)
  • Ecology (6858)
  • Epidemiology (2057)
  • Evolutionary Biology (9876)
  • Genetics (7328)
  • Genomics (9496)
  • Immunology (4533)
  • Microbiology (12627)
  • Molecular Biology (4918)
  • Neuroscience (28205)
  • Paleontology (198)
  • Pathology (802)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (1380)
  • Physiology (2011)
  • Plant Biology (4473)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (974)
  • Synthetic Biology (1295)
  • Systems Biology (3903)
  • Zoology (722)