Construction of gene expression network information related to coral-zooxanthellae symbiosis establishment/ breakdown

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H03026
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 40030:Aquatic bioproduction science-related
• Research Institution: Yamaguchi University (2020-2022); University of Tsukuba (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Yuyama Ikuko 山口大学, 大学研究推進機構, 助教 (80565995)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 神保 充 北里大学, 海洋生命科学部, 教授 (10291650) ; 橋本 哲男 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 教授 (50208451)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: coral / Symbiodiniaceae / symbiosis / coral breaching / RNAi / stress response / proteomics / transcriptome

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We identified the genes and proteins whose expression changes during the symbiotic process of coral and zooxanthellae, and attempted to clarify the main phenomena occurring in the corals as the symbiosis progresses. As a result, proteins related to lipid metabolism, ER membrane proteins, and proteins related to ATP synthesis were identified as proteins whose expression increased with the symbiosis establishment. A part of these genes were used for gene knockdown experiment by RNAi, and clarified that some symbiotically up-regulated genes affect the progress of symbiosis. In addition, we investigated genes related to coral bleaching, and summarize them in a paper.

Free Research Field

Molecular marine biology

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

サンゴー褐虫藻の共生関連遺伝子や白化関連遺伝子の応答は進んでいるものの、情報量が多く共生や白化に主に関わる分子の同定には至っていなかった。本研究でプロテオーム解析やRNAiにより、共生時の主な変化や共生に影響する遺伝子の特定を行うことができ、今後の研究を進める上でのターゲット遺伝子を明確にできた。共生をコントロールする遺伝子の同定はサンゴー褐虫藻以外にも他の細胞内共生系の解明にも関わる。また解析結果の詳細を調べる過程で、細胞内共生時に起きる主な生理学的応答を調べることができ、共生時の宿主の詳細な応答を明らかにすることができた。